Ghosts of Two Worlds
by 0shadowcast
Summary: When Harry, Ron, and Hermione find themselves reincarnated into the world of Naruto as the night of Naruto's graduation, they must learn to adapt in a world far more sinister than their own, a world in which death and destruction make the world turn, and in which the strength to kill is the only deterrent to war.
1. A Shadow of Memory

_**Disclaimer:**_ _I don't own anything of Naruto or Harry Potter_

 _ **Summary:**_ _When Harry, Ron, and Hermione find themselves reincarnated into the world of Naruto as the night of Naruto's graduation, they must learn to adapt in a world far more sinister than their own, a world in which death and destruction make the world turn, and in which the strength to kill is the only deterrent to war._

* * *

 **Chapter 1: A Shadow of Memory**

" _Are you sure?" It was, surprisingly, Ron who had asked, glancing down at the resurrection stone in his hand as if it were made of glass. As if he couldn't believe he was holding it in his hand._

 _Harry took a deep breath, "Yes. I wouldn't…" he took yet another fortifying breath. "I w-wouldn't be able to resist u-using it again. They wouldn't be here, not whole." He glanced off towards the forest where he had last seen the ghosts of his parents. Of Sirius and Cedric. "I'm not sure what I would do then."_

 _Turning to Ron again, Harry looked him in the eyes, "You have more tying you to this world than I ever will. More to lose if you risk using it. I trust you."_

 _Towards the end of his small speech, Ron had gained a determined glint in his eyes Harry had only ever seen during the last few hours of the war, "I won't use it, and I'll take it with me to the grave." His fist clenched around the small stone._

" _Hermione," Harry looked at his other best friend, holding the Elder wand firmly, resolve and resignation shining in her eyes._

" _We don't have a choice, do we?" she sighed, looking at Harry softly, "You're giving me this because out of everyone, you can be sure I won't use it."_

" _The Deathly Hallows," Harry muttered wryly, "They're far too precious – to powerful – to destroy." They had tried to, after all. The wand, when broken in two pieces, had only appeared hours later fully intact. "I don't trust anyone else with them, but they have to be kept separate. You two are the only ones I can trust. Fortunately for us, the Hallows were perhaps the best kept secret during this entire war."_

* * *

" _Do you think we're doing the right thing?"_

 _Harry turned to face one of the two people in the world he would trust with everything. She stood off to the side of him, her bushy hair framing her face in tangles and falling to just below her shoulders, seemingly frizzing up with stress. Her face was lined, looking far too old for her age. Her eyes, if anything, were even older._

 _Harry was sure he looked much the same. Although his own eyes had lost none of their vibrancy, there were shadows lurking there, a kind of darkness that peered out when he glanced into a mirror. The days of the war had left scars on them, physical and otherwise. Some were fading ever so slowly, some had been reopened time and time again._

 _He surveyed the Ministry of Magic, broken in some places but being rebuilt. It had been a war that had destroyed much of their world, had shown them the darkest aspects of human nature. Death Eaters had killed, maimed, raped, pillaged without hesitation, and even those that fought back were not entirely innocent of all crimes. There were things you did for your own safety and security that you could not admit out loud, but that made their way to haunt your dreams at night._

 _After the war, Harry, Ron, and Hermione had contemplated upon leaving this world. They had done their duty. They had killed the most dangerous Dark Lord in history. It wasn't their duty to help rebuild a world that had only sought to harm them from the moment they had entered it. And yet…they had stayed. Perhaps it had been because of Harry's loyalty to the only home he'd ever known, Ron's ties to his broken family, or even the lingering shreds of Hermione's morality. Perhaps it had simply been because of a need for something constant in their lives. Harry wasn't sure, but at the end of it all, they'd stayed._

* * *

Harry – no – _Sasuke_ jerked awake and nearly fell out of his bed at the vividness of his dream. His head pounded and his mind was chaotic, thoughts and memories swirling around in his brain as if it were not his own. As if those memories did not belong to him. Moments of another life, another world. Flashes of green and red and streaks of light flying through the air, leaving gashes and sprays of blood in their wake. Memories of ghosts in dark robes and skeletal masks, of dragons and unicorns and castles that towered into the sky.

And _Kami_ , his head _hurt_. He rubbed his hand over his face tiredly. Red eyes flashed though his mind for a mere instant and he snarled on instinct, sure they were Itachi's eyes until the lack of any discernable sharingan made him pause. Who's then? The name came to him like a whisper from the back of his mind. _Voldemort_. He shuddered even without knowing why, until another rush of memories made him groan.

Harry Potter. That's who he had been. Sasuke would have thought himself insane if he didn't _know_ it was true. He wasn't sure how he knew, but he did, like an undeniable fact. He had been Harry Potter, and that had been Lord Voldemort. He'd been a wizard in that other world, a being capable of doing magic, but far different than the uses for chakra they had in this world. He'd been the Boy-Who-Lived for surviving a curse that could not be survived. He remembered the dusty dark of old wood and worn cobwebs. The cupboard. _His_ cupboard.

He remembered Hogwarts, the castle he'd made his home. The gleaming lake and fields of endless green. Straight ginger hair and wild, frizzy brown. Ron. Hermione.

Sasuke jumped out of bed, uncertainty filling him at the pang in his chest. At the wistful longing he didn't even yet acknowledge. Was this life even his? Had it all been a dream? It had felt too real, his forehead stinging savagely in some phantom pain, the imaginary scars shining eerily upon his arms where now there was only smooth flesh. He glanced towards the window, only to see the light streaming through the dark, translucent curtains. Sasuke cursed, quickly dressing and getting ready to head to the Academy for his team assignments.

A team. Ha. As if a team would do him any good. There were few in the Academy who he could respect, and even fewer were likely to be on his team. With his luck, he'd get stuck with a fangirl. And as he stepped through the Academy classroom doors, the first sight he was greeted with was a particularly surprising one. Shikaramaru Nara, awake. Not barely awake, but eyes wide open, alert and aware in a way he'd never been before.

Sasuke stared at him until the Nara glanced up and their eyes locked. He froze. The unmistakeable feeling of familiarity washed through him like a surge of fire, all-consuming and without relent. He could feel Nara's eyes staring at him as he walked forward, body moving involuntarily to take a seat beside the Shadow-user. They stared at each other, eerie silence filling in the gap between them, until finally…

"Hari," Nara breathed, a whisper of a breath that only the two could hear, his accent making the previously English name sound somewhat exotic. Sasuke closed his eyes in realization. He certainly didn't feel like Harry. In spite of the memories whirling around in his mind, it felt as though there were two different identities at war within himself. And yet unless the Nara had turned into a Yamanka, he had all the confirmation he needed.

"Ron," Sasuke replied, a little stiff. Shikamaru straightened, the bags under his eyes becoming more pronounced as his mouth curled into a frown.

"You too? Here?"

"Apparently. I'm having trouble processing…everything," Sasuke muttered vaguely, not wanting anyone to overhear and understand.

"I wasn't sure if I was the only one. When?"

"Last night. You?"

"Same," Ron's – _Shikamaru's_ – face became pensive. "I wasn't even sure if this was real, but with you here…if you are here, and I am here, then…"

"Then _she's_ here as well."

"It'll be interesting to figure out who she's become," Shikamaru laid his head upon his desk in a decidedly lazy manner, and Sasuke was forced to admit just how much this lifetime had changed who they were. It made sense that Ron was Shikamaru. His skill for strategy and his passive intelligence had become legendary. As Head Auror, Ron had been ruthless and calculative, trapping his opponents like pawns upon a chessboard. Some part of him had grown up after the war, and some naïve part of him had been lost. Of course, the same had happened to him as well, and to Hermione, but they had already been quite mature for their age anyway.

Shikamaru, however, was quite different from Ron. Although he possessed the same lazy intellect, Shikamaru seemed more observant of social interactions. He also seemed to coast through the academy on his natural intellect, while his true aptitude was far higher than Ron's had been, almost as if Ron's inherent abilities had only been exemplified in Shikamaru.

It was the same for him as well. As a wizard, Harry had possessed a natural talent for dueling and spellwork. He certainly hadn't been a genius, but his instinct and inherent connection to magic had more than compensated for his lack of academic intelligence. And now…Sasuke seemed to have all of Harry's abilities, and more. Although certainly not a genius like his murderer brother, Sasuke knew he had an instinctive talent for combat, and instinct could be more dangerous than intelligence when it came to this profession, because the brain could always process involuntary reactions far quicker than conscious thought.

Furthermore, Harry had always been grey. Not purely light as many of the tabloids had suggested, but balanced grey, capable of doing good as easily as committing murder. Years as an Unspeakable had left him with more doubts about what was light and what was dark than any amount of time at Hogwarts. He wondered how that had been amplified in him now.

"We won't be on the same team," Shikamaru commented dully.

Sasuke ignored the rabid fangirls now pouring into the class, fighting past their surprise at his chosen seat – different from where he usually sat at the front of the class, and now competing for the seat beside him. "No. Everyone is here, and we haven't sensed Hermione."

"I'll most likely be part of a new Ino-Shika-Cho team. Troublesome," Shikamaru mumbled, hiding a wince as Yamanaka Ino screamed particularly loudly, evidently still competing with the pink-haired Haruno girl. _Kami_ , Sasuke hoped he didn't get _her_ in his group.

Just then, Uzumaki Naruto bounded into the room, a grin on his face but a dark look lingering in his eyes.

"Oi," Shikamaru muttered, "Naruto, this class is for graduates only." Sasuke was well aware of the hitai-ate bound to the blond's forehead, and he knew Shikamaru had noticed as well, but it would be interesting to confirm.

"You don't see the hitai-ate?" Naruto scoffed, "I graduated, fair and square!"

"Troublesome," Shikamaru said, and Sasuke rolled his eyes. Although the lazy Nara had some part of Ron in him, a lifetime of being a Nara wouldn't change so easily.

Iruka came in shortly after and began announcing team assignments. Sasuke smirked slightly as Shikamaru was put with Ino and Chouji, the former pouting miserably while simultaneously leering at him, making him shiver slightly in revulsion. However, it was his own team assignment that made him want to bang his head to the desk.

"Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura, and Uchiha Sasuke."

"Haha! Take that Ino-Pig!"

Sasuke winced, and Shikamaru glanced at him pityingly.

As their jounin instructors came and took them away, Shikamaru leaving with a quick, "We need to talk about this," Sasuke was forced to sit in a room, idly waiting as the pink-haired banshee made googly eyes at him and the blond _dobe_ set up a trap juvenile enough to fool perhaps a two year old. Of course, this was right before their jounin instructor stepped through the door and ended up with a head full of chalk dust. Sasuke groaned.

"My first impression of you three…I hate you. Meet me on the roof in five minutes." With that, the silver-haired jounin shunshined out of the room, leaving them to head to the roof.

Sasuke got up, ignoring the screeching Sakura now whacking Naruto on the head, and made his way leisurely to the academy roof. He barely had to wait a minute before the other two arrived, seemingly having noticed that their third teammate had already disappeared. He grimaced as Sakura immediately took a spot beside him, sending him bashful looks as if she hadn't just pounded Naruto's head into a desk.

Sasuke found it…strange. As Harry, he'd always been subjected to this sort of odd, stalkerish behaviour of his fans, and as Sasuke, the parallels were now somewhat unnerving. He was still an orphan, his family had been murdered, just as Harry's had been. He was the last of his family, as Harry had been the last Potter. And he'd become somewhat famous in Konoha because of that. Yet somehow, Sasuke's own fangirls were morbidly obsessive in a way that Harry's never had been.

Harry's fans had been fans at a distance, shaking his hand and greeting him exuberantly, but only occasionally. He'd had to deal with stares and trying to hide from the publicity, but as Sasuke, being old enough to witness his own parent's murder and remember what had happened – remembering just _who_ had killed them…it made it far more unnerving. Harry had become famous because he had lived, and Sasuke was famous because his family had died.

Sakura was certainly book smart, he would have to give her that much, but she lacked any sort of common sense. At first, he'd thought that Hermione might have reincarnated as her, but a second thought had quickly absolved him of that notion. Hermione might kill him for that idea, if she ever found out. His old friend had grown up into a quick-witted, sharp woman who valued common-sense over any sort of tradition or pompous posturing. She'd valued intelligence over traditional power, but she'd also realized that academic intelligence wasn't enough to change the world. That it wasn't enough to change the minds of a society who had since long become stagnant with prejudiced notions of superiority based on no scientific evidence or empirical proof.

Hermione had been brilliant, making her way through the Ministry as the head of Muggle and Magical Relations. She'd made much headway to bridge the gap between muggle technology and wizarding magic, to promote awareness and dismantle the ridiculous ideas of magical superiority that had plagued their world for so long. In contrast, Harry had spent much of his time holed within the labyrinths of the department of mysteries, pouring over old tomes and obscure magics, studying artifacts and making discoveries that would never see the world outside those walls. After a lifetime of war and death, followed by years of rebuilding, Harry had wanted nothing to do with changing the world.

"You next, broody."

Sasuke blinked, not having heard anything of the conversation the past five minutes. By the expectant looks, he supposed he was supposed to give some sort of introduction.

"Uchiha Sasuke."

Naruto rolled his eyes at his apparent aloofness, "Teme! What about your likes, dislikes, dreams?"

Oh. So that's what he was supposed to talk about. "I like tomatoes, and training. I dislike…" Sakura was giving him another one of her bashful looks so he decided to end this before it got too far (not that it already hadn't), "I dislike fangirls who can't take this profession seriously."

Sakura reeled back as if slapped in the face, and he was glad that she was intelligent enough not to think that the label "fangirl" didn't apply to her. Her hand snapped back from where it had been about to grasp on to Sasuke's arm, and in the relief of it all, he even managed to ignore Naruto's quiet snickers.

He paused. There was one thing left, wasn't there? Ah…his dream. A day ago he would have said without hesitation that his dream was to kill Itachi in repayment for what he had done. Now, he wasn't so sure. Although his life as Harry still seemed like a disjoint thing, Sasuke knew enough to realize that those memories had already affected him. That they'd already wormed their way into his heart and changed his perspective and the way he thought.

"My dream is to…" What was his dream? Although it was really more of an ambition. His _ambition_ had always been to…survive. That in spite of his life with the Dursleys, his enmity with Voldemort, his adventures at Hogwarts, Harry had always managed to live. And in spite of Itachi murdering his entire family, Sasuke was still alive to want to kill him.

"My _ambition_ is to live." _Neither can live while the other survives…_ There was more than one meaning to the phrase, but he allowed his team to ponder that themselves. Sasuke wasn't even sure himself what meaning he followed.

"Maa…that's a little plain, isn't it Sasuke?" Kakashi commented lazily, though there was a thoughtful spark in his singular eye.

"That sounds…a little morbid, teme," Naruto said, for once not shouting. Sasuke shrugged and turned away from him.

Kakashi surveyed his (potential) genin thoughtfully. Naruto and Sakura were as he had expected, quite different from what the academy reports had mentioned about them. Sakura was reported to be a stellar student, easily top kunoichi with her grades and sheer knowledge. While certainly academically intelligent, Sakura at the moment was nothing more than a fangirl with textbook knowledge and low chakra levels. Naruto was a loudmouth, a prankster and a troublemaker but he had a surprisingly compassionate heart. He was inherently good and seemed to radiate happiness in spite of what his life had thrown at him. He was far from the nefarious demon that many seemed to portray him as.

Sasuke…how to put it. His academy report was more correct than those of the other two genin, but there were still inconsistencies. Sasuke was not a genius as the report had made him out to be. Kakashi had read the reports and he knew that Itachi (and himself) had scored far higher in most aspects of the exams, theoretical and practical. And yet he was certainly a talented child, far ahead of his peers. He was antisocial as the academy reports had stated, and had a touch of arrogance that was characteristic to an Uchiha. Even the Last Uchiha.

And yet…he wasn't as cold-hearted as Kakashi had expected. There was a darkness to his gaze, but it was also tempered with a bright passion – what for, Kakashi wasn't sure. They certainly weren't the dead eyes that Itachi had had, though, during his time in ANBU. He hated his fangirls with a passion and was clearly disdainful of Sakura, but he didn't actively try to hurt her. His earlier jab had been meant to make her back off, but he'd never done more than that.

He had originally thought to do the bell test, but if the last Uchiha failed, the council might throw a fit. If this team would pass anyway, then there was no point in testing them. Most of the jounin instructors didn't, either way. Based on the academy reports, these three would have no teamwork, but Kakashi would change that.

"Meet me tomorrow, at 8."

* * *

Neji scowled darkly as Gai and Lee launched into another one of their disturbing hugs, waves crashing against a rocky beach with a bright orange sun setting in the background. He'd had the oddest dream last night, one filled with magic – not completely dissimilar to chakra – and a war against a dark wizard that had been alive for decades. Worst of all…he'd been a girl.

An intelligent girl, certainly, but a _girl_! A bushy-haired, buck-toothed know-it-all girl. There wasn't anything wrong with girls, per say, but something about his dreams had taken a stab at his own masculinity. And wasn't that just a little humiliating? The dream had been eerily realistic, so much so that he had almost believed it. Lee and Gai were _still_ hugging when he turned back towards them, so Neji turned and left the training ground. They wouldn't notice his lack of presence for a while yet, and he had some…investigation to do.

If his dream had been real, and if Ron and Harry were indeed a part of this world, they would have to be in the newest batch of graduates. Or at least one of them would have to be.

Neji began walking his way to each of the training grounds surrounding Konoha. The first team he found was his cousin's new team, consisting of a loud, brash Inuzuka and what looked like a silent Aburame. Neji wanted to scowl at the reminder of the Main Hyuuga house, but a stab of nostalgia made the expression vanish. How was it that this team reminded him so much of… _Ron and Harry_. He shook his head, retreating as quickly as he'd come and headed for another training ground.

It took another five training grounds before he found another occupied. _Odd,_ Neji thought as he wandered closer, _there's only two of them. Where's the other?_ All he could see a blond haired girl shrieking at a pudgy boy. Their sensei was standing a little off to the side, holding a smoking cigarette between two fingers, watching them with vague amusement.

"Hermione."

Neji whirled around, two shuriken in his hands before he'd even had the chance to consciously think about grabbing them.

"Relax," Shikamaru mumbled lazily from where he'd been leaning against a tree, behind him.

White, pupil-less eyes widened incredulously, "How did you…?"

Shikamaru frowned slightly. Had he been wrong? No, that couldn't be it. The feeling was unmistakable, even though Hermione had been most definitely female in her past life. "You can't feel it?"

Looking to his hands, Neji's eyes closed, frustrated. The wistfulness and familiarity had left him with no doubt. He'd half denied his dreams because he'd thought they could never be real, but now...what he felt was unmistakable.

"Ron," he sighed, voice becoming monotonous as was his tendency when stressed. Strange memories of a lifetime encapsulated in a single dream were now unravelling in his mind. Hermione had always been proficient at processing large amounts of data and categorizing it effectively in her brain, and Neji was no different. He was just as knowledge-driven, only more practical about it. Hermione had sought knowledge for its own sake, but Neji's life had made him value it for the defenses it gave him, for the power it provided him.

He'd had to use every ounce of cunning to survive as a member of the branch family, to survive and yet shine. Hermione had always promoted equal rights for magical creatures, as well as muggleborns, but she had never truly had to face the fact that her life was unwillingly controlled by another. That a single seal could end her life or cause her immeasurable pain if a member of the main house willed it. Even on a whim.

Neji was very much like Hermione, wanting to change the fate of his house, but his childhood had embittered him in a way that Hermione's had not. He was not as idealistic. As optimistic as she had been. But he had the passion, and the determination, and even the power to create that change. And perhaps it was enough.

"I'm surprised you're a Nara," his lips quirked in the slightest hint of a smile, "Aren't they supposed to be smart?"

"Oi, that's mean," Shikamaru deadpanned, slouching lazily again, hands shoved into his pockets.

Neji glanced towards the side, studying him from his periphery, "Who is Harry?"

The lazy Nara winced slightly, peaking her interest.

"Uchiha Sasuke."

His breath hitching, Neji turned to face him again, "You're not serious?"

"Of course not. He's always had the worst luck. Although," Shikamaru's eyes flicked up to her hitai-ate, "You're not much different."

"I'm surprised you know about it," he muttered, resisting the urge to make sure his hitai-ate was still in place. Something about the impulse reminded him awfully of Harry.

The Nara merely shrugged, before turning back to glance towards his team, "Ino's stopped yelling and Asuma will probably call us for proper training soon. You should go see if you can find Harry – Sasuke. _Kami_ , processing all these memories and keeping them straight is troublesome."

Neji nodded and left quietly, glancing back only once to see Shikamaru walking back over to his teammates and getting whacked on the head by an irate Yamanaka. He didn't try to find the Last Uchiha just yet, still needing a bit of time to process the new information. Instead, he headed back to his own training ground. Gai and Lee were engrossed in a taijutsu battle, apparently not having noticed that he'd disappeared.

Tenten, however, had given him a sidelong glance as he'd returned, but he'd ignored her to focus on the fight.

* * *

It was late evening when Neji found himself at the doorstep of the hauntingly silent Uchiha compound. The homes were in disrepair with no one to maintain them. It disturbed him that the boy who was now Harry had lived this life. Neji missed his father, and had been angered by his loss, but to see the lingering remains of an entire clan was, unnerving.

He knocked on the door and waited a minute before it creaked open, the surprised dark eyes of Uchiha Sasuke staring at him, features far too tense to suit such a young face. Not that Neji noticed that his own face was just as tense, his white eyes widened slightly in shock.

"Harry," he whispered slightly, a note of longing in his voice that could only belong to the part of him that was Hermione.

"Hermione," Sasuke blinked, glancing around them uneasily. Neji couldn't recall ever seeing _Harry's_ face so inexpressive. "Shikamaru told me who you were. You should come in. He is already here."

She stared, "Why am I not surprised?" Sighing, she followed the silent Uchiha through the halls of the deserted main building, noticing with trepidation the numerous pictures that hung on the walls, some dusted over with years of neglect.

Shikamaru was lounging on one of the mats in the living room when they arrived, "About time you made it. I was afraid you weren't going to show up at all."

"After meeting you, I needed a 'rush to the library' moment, I suppose, without the library."

Snorting, Shikamaru sat up into a sort of half-slouch before peering at them seriously, "Who would have guessed we'd have ended up like this?"

Sasuke shook his head, "I'm not even sure which part of me is _me_ , and which is not."

"It's interesting how different, and in some ways similar, we are from our counterparts," Neji muttered thoughtfully. "I can see you as Ron, Nara, but you're also far different from what Ron was."

"Shikamaru."

"Hm?"

"Call me Shikamaru. We know each other pretty well by now, don't we?"

Neji shrugged. Perhaps in another life, Hermione had been more extrovert, more open to showing her passion and her drive. Those things were still there in Neji, but they'd been kept in a tight hold, from the life he'd had with his clan and from the life of a shinobi. They were all significantly different. Harry had always been an angsty person, but Sasuke's life had made him even more cold and withdrawn, icy where Harry had once been fiery. There was the potential for power there, greater than most shinobi could dream of. But then again, Harry had always been an exceptionally capable wizard.

The cold intelligence and ruthless ambition that had been a part of Harry's life now took form in Sasuke's need for retribution. And yet…perhaps if he hadn't been Harry once, Sasuke may have possessed less kindness than he did now, Neji thought as he held a cup of steaming tea, made within a kitchen that Sasuke probably didn't even like entering.

And Shikamaru…he had always been intelligent as Ron, though hidden behind a veneer of laziness and lack of motivation. Years fighting in a war and managing the auror program after had taken away none of his passion, simply given it direction. He had always been clever in his own way, strategic and calm when even she had faltered. Shikamaru was more than that. Ruthless in his analysis, working through his life as if it were a game to be played. A game of chess.

"How did we even get to this world?" Neji questioned, making himself comfortable one of the corner mats.

"Or why just the three of us?" Shikamaru immediately became serious, rising up from his slouch into a straighter posture.

Sasuke flinched violently, so much so that Neji didn't even need his Byakugan to notice.

"Sasuke?"

The Uchiha squirmed in his seat slightly, the action so uncharacteristic that Shikamaru's eyes narrowed, "You know why."

Sasuke sighed, breathing out heavily before lifting his face and locking their eyes with his own dark ones, "I think it has something to do with the Deathly Hallows."

The words were like a slap in the face. They remembered being given the Hallows by Harry, mere hours after the war had ended. They also remembered never having spoken of them again.

"Of course," Neji breathed, "To collect all three would make you the Master of Death." His brows scrunched, "But then why would we be here? Shikamaru and I?"

"Because he _gave_ us two of them." Shikamaru muttered, seemingly in complete disbelief of the situation.

"That would only mean there was _no_ Master of Death. We'd separated the Hallows. No one person had them, then."

"True, but it was the first time all three Hallows had been collected. We were never sure what impact that would have," Sasuke responded.

"I assume we're involved because you gave them to us, Sasuke," Shikamaru spoke slowly, his mind going a mile a minute, " _Gave_ them instead of having them taken from you by force."

Neji looked up so fast his neck cracked, "You're right." He looked at Shikamaru in a horrified kind of stupor. "Not only was it the first time the Hallows had ever been reunited, but the Elder Wand can only be truly taken if it is done so by force. Sasuke, you didn't have the three Hallows anymore, but at the same time, they were still connected to you, and each other."

Sasuke nodded, face full of guilt, "It must have confused them. They must have included the two of you in this entire situation. After all, the Hallows can only have one Master – one owner that possesses all three."

He looked towards them, "I am _so_ sorry." The words choked his throat. As Sasuke – before all of this – he'd never apologized to anyone outside of his own family. And yet, now…words couldn't properly express the wave of guilt that made him nauseous. That made his head pound and his throat clench up so he couldn't breathe.

It was Shikamaru that sighed a low, "Troublesome," before moving forward to hold Sasuke in an awkward sort of hug, and it was Neji who reluctantly rubbed his back, looking somewhat like he'd rather be anywhere else. And when Sasuke choked out a laughing sob and pushed away their hands stubbornly, they said nothing.

They spoke for a while yet, comparing and contrasting their experiences of reliving their memories and figuring out what to do from here. Shikamaru snickered somewhat at Neji's irritation at having girly memories, remarking that with his long, silky hair and porcelain face, Neji was already more feminine than most girls anyway. Perhaps even more feminine than his female counterpart. He'd caught the calculative glint in Shikamaru's eyes, anyway, as plans upon plans began to form in his mind, layers upon layers of strategy.

They spoke of their teams, Neji complaining about the green, spandex clad teammate and sensei. Sasuke snorted that if he thought green was bad, Neji should try _orange_ , to which he winced lightly. Shikamaru then commented about his blond haired teammate, to which Sasuke glared at him and merely mentioned _pink_.

The tension that had been so palpable merely an hour back seemed to have faded somewhat, though it lingered in the darkness behind Sasuke's eyes and the tenseness in Neji's shoulders. Even Shikamaru had risen somewhat from his perpetual slouch. There was an understanding though, a kind of unspoken loyalty that seemed to forgive all past mistakes and provide a clean slate.

Neji proposed that they should keep their correspondence under wraps for now, or at least make it so that it wasn't too obvious. Shikamaru and Sasuke agreed instantly, not wanting the suspicion that came from children of three important clans who suddenly knew each other after years of ignoring one another. Sasuke and Neji in particular would have to be watchful. The feuds between their clans were no secret to Konoha.

"We will not be in the same teams, but we should still keep in touch," Shikamaru muttered.

Sasuke nodded, "Come here whenever we need to talk. No one ever comes to the Uchiha compound, so it will be safe."

Shikamaru left for home first, complaining that his mother would likely yell at him for being late, and just how _troublesome_ that was. As Neji got up to leave, he paused by the door and took in the too quiet house, Sasuke standing off to the side to close the door after he left.

"You shouldn't have to live like this. Not again," Neji spoke softly, his voice carrying through the house like an echo, one that spoke of memories both would rather keep buried.

"Where else would I go?" It was odd how the response was phrased so casually, despite the words. As if there was nothing wrong in the first place.

"I could ask my clan if they would…"

"No. You have enough trouble as it is," Sasuke's eyes flicked up to his headband, "And no Hyuuga would ever want an Uchiha in his house. Too much bad blood between the clans."

Neji nodded. There really wasn't a point to keep insisting when they both knew it wasn't possible. And both Sasuke and Harry had too much pride to rely on another person, or clan, for shelter. Almost two decades at the Dursleys had taught Harry patience, if nothing else.


	2. A Ripple of Change

_**Disclaimer:**_ _I don't own anything of Naruto or Harry Potter_

 _ **Summary:**_ _When Harry, Ron, and Hermione find themselves reincarnated into the world of Naruto as the night of Naruto's graduation, they must learn to adapt in a world far more sinister than their own, a world in which death and destruction make the world turn, and in which the strength to kill is the only deterrent to war._

 _ **Author's Notes:**_ _Wow! Thank you to everyone for the great response to the first chapter – it's definitely helped in providing motivation for this one. :) More related to the story, though, things are now starting to change from canon. Not too drastically just yet, but the ripples are being formed. Magic won't exist in this world, but they may develop jutsus or techniques similar to spells in their old world. Now, without further delay, enjoy the second chapter!_

* * *

 **Chapter 2: A Ripple of Change**

Sasuke walked towards Team 7's training ground, taking his time as he took in the morning breeze to get his thoughts together. There was something about the cool air rushing past his face that made him sigh out in relief, the turmoil in his mind an ever-present reminder of just how messed up things were right now. Just how messed up he was.

There was a part of his mind that was Harry now, but Sasuke didn't know how far ingrained that part was. Just how much Harry was a part of him, or he was a part of Harry. He'd caught himself referring to that part as an entirely separate entity in the privacy of his own mind, but having such intimate knowledge of another life's memories and experiences had to have affected him deeply.

It wasn't quite that he _was_ Harry, but it felt rather as if he now possessed a set of memories belonging to a part of him that he hadn't even known existed. A part that had a life completely separate to his own. He didn't feel like a man far past his youth. Sasuke still felt like…well, Sasuke. Just a jigsaw puzzled together Sasuke, as if he'd taken pieces of himself out and pushed some of Harry's own characteristics and personalities in to fill the gaps.

As he arrived, he noticed disappointedly that Kakashi still hadn't arrived. Moreover, Naruto was busy asking out an angry Sakura, who seemed to have developed hearts in her eyes as soon as she glanced over at him. Sasuke shuddered slightly. Kakashi's tendency to be late seemed to be a habitual thing, so after a pause of contemplation, he walked over to the side slightly, and pulled out a scroll.

The Uchiha library was filled with scrolls on jutsu, taijutsu kata, even more obscure genjutsu. Sasuke had only ever focussed on katon jutsu, with that being his clan's main element, but with Harry's memories had come a driving need to never be so helpless again. To learn everything he could as fast as he could and never again be caught off guard against an opponent he could not hope to defeat. Itachi was that for him. He was the proverbial Voldemort in a way that was so much more terrifying, because Itachi was also his brother. He'd _adored_ his brother. Sasuke inwardly flinched at the memories of him toddling along after his older brother in hopes to be given some help with kunai.

A week ago, he'd have taken the massacre as it had seemed. He'd believed Itachi when his older brother had looked him in the eyes and told him that the murder of his entire clan had been to simply "test his limits". He'd believed that entirely, but now…now Sasuke wasn't so sure. Memories of Voldemort's past, Dumbledore's manipulations, of politics and power struggle – things were never as they seemed. And Sasuke was determined to find out each piece of this puzzle.

As he leaned back against the tree and started reading through a scroll on basic genjutsu release, he noticed in his peripheral vision that his other two teammates had stopped fighting to instead stare at him perplexedly.

"Hey, Teme!"

Sasuke sighed slightly.

"Dobe. I'm reading."

"Yeah, leave him alone, _idiot_!" he heard Sakura yell on his behalf, "At least _Sasuke-kun's_ doing something useful! You should learn from him.

Now _this_ was just ridiculous. And he'd had enough.

"Dobe, if you have time to question me when I'm _obviously_ reading, then you have time to read yourself," he called, as he shoved a scroll of taijutsu kata into the blond boy's hand.

"And Haruno, I have already said that I don't appreciate fangirls. From his build and the rumors of his skill at stealth, I'd already say the Dobe was more advanced then you, at least practically. I have no need for a weak teammate. You'll just get yourself killed on the next mission."

His words were harsh, and he noticed her flinch back with each word he spoke. But they were necessary. She had to understand and _grow up_. Sasuke enviously thought of Neji's team. At least _he_ had a skilled kunoichi on his team. He'd never realized just how much they'd taken Hermione's intelligence and capability for granted until he'd been saddled with someone so utterly useless. He'd barely survived in his past life (mostly on luck), and Sasuke had no intention of repeating those mistakes.

Naruto had glanced up at some point during his words and looked now to be on the verge of protesting, but Sasuke spoke again before he had the chance.

"If you aren't going to take being a kunoichi seriously, then you should quit this team now. There will be missions in which our lives are endangered, and we'll have enough trouble protecting the client and fighting against our opponents without thinking of protecting you as well. Konoha has no need for weak shinobi."

He vaguely noticed Naruto's mouth shut, and his blue eyes turn serious in contemplation, staring at Sakura with a kind of intensity Sasuke had never seen from him. He knew the dobe took being a shinobi seriously, even as unskilled as he was at this point, and if Sakura didn't…then this team may never work out. A week ago, Sasuke may just have left things as they were, continued to let Sakura play pretend and Naruto play pranks. He wasn't the same person anymore, now. Without Ron and Hermione, Harry would have never made it out of the war alive. He needed the same from his current team mates. And to get that, Sasuke was willing to change his approach a bit.

Sakura seemed to be on the verge of tears, her eyes gaining a filmy, glassy appearance as she trembled slightly at the scrutiny. She turned on her heel and ran from them, and he let her. Sasuke turned towards Naruto, and the dobe met his eyes.

"A bit harsh, ne Sasuke?" Kakashi's voice came out from above as he jumped down from a tree to meet them.

Sasuke shrugged lightly, "You didn't stop me."

"Maa…"

"If she comes back, we'll know if she's serious."

Naruto had been oddly quiet, and when Sasuke turned to glance at him, noticed the intensity warring with pity in his eyes. As enamored as he'd been with Sakura, he hadn't exactly been blind to her faults. Well, he hadn't been blind to _all_ her faults. The pink hair was sort of a hard thing to let slide, after all.

Kakashi looked at Sasuke thoughtfully. He'd hoped Sakura would have lost her fangirl behaviour perhaps after her first kill or her first C-rank, but if Sasuke's words had made any impact, aside from scaring Sakura off, then perhaps this entire thing would be more beneficial. He had thought about stopping Sasuke, about ending the speech before it had even begun, but something had made him pause. He thought back to the Sandaime's words just yesterday.

" _Suna and Kumo have become restless, and Jiraiya's spy network speaks of a new village. We don't know anything about it yet, but it may participate in the next Chuunin exams. There have also been whispers of a missing-nin organization, a strong one. I have a bad feeling about this. War is looming. Train them, Kakashi. We need our shinobi to be prepared, and our genins especially. There are more clan children in this batch than any of the previous batches._

 _Kakashi thought back to his team, a loud, unskilled dead last, an obsessive fangirl, and the last Uchiha, a head-case if anything. "I won't disagree with you Hokage-sama, but if I'm to train them, actually_ train them _, then I'll need to do something about their lack of teamwork. I can't do that here in the village."_

" _What do you mean, Kakashi?"_

 _The white-haired shinobi gave his superior a grim look, "Naruto is constantly looked down upon, glared at, and at worse, physically harmed by the villagers. Sometimes even shinobi. Sasuke has so many bad memories and so many people stupidly_ praising _him for it, that all this will only cause his hate to fester. And Sakura…from her reports she's nothing more than a book-smart fangirl. She needs to see life outside the village._ Hokage _-sama, do I have your permission to take them outside of the village for training?"_

 _The old man nodded, "You do, as long as you complete the required number of d-ranks." Most people thought the required number was one a day, but it was actually one a week, provided that each member of the team could feed themselves and pay their rent on the stipend. This would be a little difficult for Naruto, who often got overcharged for both rent and food, but Kakashi didn't think that would matter in the coming weeks._

 _D-ranks were more for team-building, but with his own dysfunctional team, Kakashi hardly thought that d-ranks would cut it. Naruto and Sasuke seemed to have some odd kind of respect for each other, but it didn't extend to actually trusting each other's abilities. Sakura's obsession with Sasuke, and Naruto's obsession with her, in turn, had created some kind of odd triangle that completely imbalanced things. He would need something more binding to promote their teamwork, and some isolation would unify them before they had to face the rest of Konoha as a team._

 _So he agreed, and began to plot out just how he would do this._

It was with that reason that he had arrived early today. Not _early_ , he supposed, but not _too_ late. He'd only been a half-hour late.

Now, Kakashi pondered as to the next step. He considered starting the first d-rank already, but without Sakura there wouldn't be much of a point. She would return soon enough, he believed. The academy report spoke highly of her academic grades, and while that didn't mean too much, it did mean that even as a civilian-turned-kunoichi, she must have worked hard to get to where she was, and wasn't likely to quit just now. They'd just have to wait for her. So instead, he started Naruto out on fixing his katas (how absolutely horrendous they were), making Sasuke fix all the minute details in Naruto's form. Both glared at him before getting to training, and some deeply hidden part of Kakashi thought it was almost cute.

Naruto snapped at Sasuke every time the other boy made a vaguely condescending comment, and Sasuke replied with a typical 'dobe'. Nevertheless, Naruto's form slowly improved with the Uchiha's small alterations, his balance and speed improving. Kakashi noted Sasuke's eyes travelling over the blond's form critically, taking in every twitch of muscle and every inch that was off. It was training for him as well.

Sasuke's sharingan, when he acquired it, would be capable of detecting details with a speed that no normal eyes could match. Most of the Uchiha Kakashi had ever met used this ability simply to react to their opponents moves quicker, dodging punches and avoiding kicks. They trained their bodies to keep up with their eyes, but rarely did they train their minds to do the same. Kakashi wanted Sasuke to eventually be able to _predict_ moves in a sense, see the twitch of a muscle and know immediately what was coming. It was a skill that would use the abilities of the Sharingan to its fullest, without relying on the deceptive copying ability the eyes provided. Sasuke's build and abilities suggested that he would be a far better taijutsu specialist than a ninjutsu expert.

Naruto, on the other hand, was built for ninjutsu. Possessing larger chakra reserves than most jounin, reserves that would only grow with age, ninjutsu was an obvious choice. But ninjutsu alone would do nothing if the boy was unable to defend himself against taijutsu or genjutsu attacks, let alone fuinjutsu or any other branches of the shinobi arts. He would do well as a well-rounded shinobi who specialized in ninjutsu.

Sakura was somewhat tricky. He'd thought about teaching her the basics of iryojutsu, something she would be able to accomplish with her perfect chakra control, but the interesting condition in Sakura's mind made her especially suited for genjutsu as well, which would give him a perfectly well-rounded team. Her academy psych evaluations had spouted theories of a possible split personality, nothing major, but enough to perhaps even _help_ Sakura. Genjutsu users had to be strong mentally, and with her incredible mind, Sakura could perhaps pull it off. Not to mention that genjutsu required less chakra than iryojutsu, which would make Sakura a perfect user.

* * *

He let the two continue the practice when Sakura didn't arrive to the training ground the next day. Kakashi then began to doubt his initial assessment of the girl, but she showed up the day after, minutes after Naruto and Sasuke had arrived.

"Uh…" Sakura began hesitantly, glancing at Sasuke who merely stared at her expectantly, "I'm sorry, Sasuke. And to you, Naruto, and Kakashi-sensei."

His eyes widened, noticing the lack of suffix.

"I didn't join the academy to become… _this_ ," she gave a nervous giggle, "I don't want to be weak. I want to be a part of this team, and becoming a ninja has been the best part of my life. I don't want to give this up." The words bubbled out of her mouth in a rush, and Kakashi wondered if she was even taking breaths in between.

"I know you think I'm useless, and you're right. I am. But I don't _want_ to be anymore. I don't want to be protected, so I'm going to try my level best to pull myself up and become an asset to this team."

Sakura squirmed nervously at Sasuke's intent stare, before his face softened slightly into a smirk, "Welcome back, Sakura."

Naruto whooped and moved to hug the pink-haired girl enthusiastically, before his eyes widened and he retracted his arms hesitantly, eyes on her hands, expecting a punch.

She rolled her eyes, "Come here, idiot." She hugged Naruto, Sasuke watching from the sidelines with an odd, satisfied look in his eyes.

Kakashi couldn't describe the feeling adequately enough, but it felt an awful lot like a glow of pride, warm and uplifting. They were growing, his cute little genin. This was only the first step, and they hadn't achieved anything yet, but he could feel the faint stirrings of hope. Perhaps this team would be able to withstand the tides of war.

When Kakashi visited the memorial on his way back from team training that day, he paused as he looked down at the memorial stone.

"Goodbye, Obito. Goodbye, Rin. Sensei. It'll be a while before I can see you again. I'll have to step up their training, but I'll make sure this team 7 will be the best shinobi to ever come out of Konoha. None of these three will die or betray their team. I'll make sure of it."

He gave it an eye-smile, "Let me tell you about them…"

* * *

"Neji!" Lee's loud voice shocked him into attention as his spandex-clad teammate came bursting out of the bushes to face him, twigs and leaves still stuck in his hair. Neji had never been overly critical of anyone's hair, especially with Hermione's own memories in his head, but something about that blunt, bowl-cut made him cringe inwardly.

"Lee."

"It is time for another spar, Neji! I will definitely defeat you this time!" With that, Lee moved himself back into position, arms raised and fists clenched around kunai. Neji wanted to roll his eyes. He'd gotten somewhat tired of this routine, but just as he was about to brush Lee off, Gai barrelled in, jumping into the scene with his typical shout of "Dynamic Entry!"

His – or rather, Hermione's – parents had been dentists in his past life, but Neji couldn't fathom them ever being able to make someone's teeth so blindingly white as Gai's. The sunlight sparkled off of them as Gai gave them a wide grin.

"Now, now, my adorable genin! We have a mission!" His voice was loud, booming, and for the umpteenth time since he'd been given his old memories, Neji wished he could have teammates more like Ron and Harry. Ron had been loud, no doubt, but he'd been manageable, even during Hogwarts.

Immediately, Lee's already wide eyes widened further in adoration, turning to stare at Gai expectantly.

"Why weren't we given the mission at the Hokage tower, as we usually are?" Tenten questioned, coming out from behind Neji after having finished re-sealing all her weapons.

"This one is urgent," Gai gave his sparkling grin again, "We must purchase twelve boxes of pipe tobacco for the Hokage Tower. The youthful secretary at the tower requested that we bring it back immediately, so we must do our best!"

Neji wanted to slap his forehead.

"So pretty much," Tenten said, giving the only other sane person – Neji – a knowing look, "The Hokage's run out of tobacco and we need to buy some more." Her voice flat, the hint of disbelief on her features.

"It is a youthful mission, Gai-sensei!" Lee piped up, "Where will we be going?"

"Just off of the land of Tea. There is a farmer there who can provide us with our purchase."

Gai shot them all another beaming smile, "Pack for three days."

They split up then, Neji taking off for his clan compound. He entered his room and glanced around for his pack, lying in the corner already half-filled from one of his previous missions. Taking quick note of what he needed to refill, he rummaged through his cupboard when a small cough sounded behind him.

"Hintata-sama?" Neji turned, his voice becoming flat.

"N-neji nii-san," she stuttered out, pinking slightly in embarrassment. Something new in Neji twisted at the scene and he tried to squash it down.

"What do you want, Hinata-sama?"

"Are y-you g-going on another m-mission?"

It was odd. A week ago, he'd have never felt even the slightest hint of guilt for being so disdainful of his main branch cousin. And yet…now…he wasn't sure he was right to treat her so. Still, life wasn't fair. Fate wasn't kind. And though Neji had always wished to leave fate as it was, to not meddle beyond what he was given…some part of him now wanted more. Not only wanted, but was willing to finally do what was necessary to attain it. His freedom. His recognition.

He glanced at Hinata, still staring at the floor with her fingers pressing together in nervousness. She knew Neji had never particularly liked her. Had always been resentful of her position. Then why? What was it about his cousin that continued to keep her kind even when he put her down?

Even Hermione had never been like that. She had been compassionate, but had been equally vicious to those who had crossed her. Hinata was different. Soft and gentle, so desperate to gain her family's recognition but so unable to cause harm to do so. Neji had never had that problem, and so he had despised her. Despised that she lacked the will to do what was necessary and yet still sat at the Heiress of the clan, even as precarious as that position was.

"Yes," he stated, turning away.

"O-oh," Hinata pinked further, "Good l-luck. P-please come home s-safely."

Perhaps a week ago he would have sneered at her. Ignored her and walked out of the room. Perhaps… but Hermione had always been resourceful enough to work with what she was given. And Neji no longer wanted to bow to the whims of fate. He no longer wanted to accept that no matter how powerful, how skilled he became, his clan would always see him as a slave.

And even if Hinata was the only person in the clan who saw him any differently, the only person with any sort of chance to make a difference, perhaps his goal was not completely unattainable.

"Thank you," he bowed lightly, chancing a glance at his younger cousin.

She seemed utterly shocked. Eyes wide and face flushed, Hinata bowed back, a little lower than he had. It was perhaps slightly disgraceful for a main branch member, but if he continued to think in that fashion – as all the other clan members did – then he would get nowhere. So he nodded to her, lifted his pack, and walked out, for the first time feeling that perhaps fate was not enough to tie him down.

* * *

Shikamaru turned his eyes skywards, giving an absent glance to the clouds rolling easily by. Cloud watching. Easily his favourite hobby. Konoha had the most spectacularly shaped clouds, after all. His mind was only half on the clouds, though. It had come to his realization that he had never had to use his brain for true strategy before, though he had often contributed to Naruto's planned pranks or tried to come up with various ways to get out of trouble with his mom.

But now things were changing. Being who they were, three children in three separate shinobi clans of Konoha…there was no way that things would not get complicated. And for the first time, Shikamaru felt out of his depth. Strategy was his skill…the only thing he truly had to contribute. What use was he if he couldn't figure out what was coming?

Ron had always been that person. The one of their trio who had made plans in the background. His contribution to their schemes had never truly been acknowledged, and although this had irked him during Hogwarts, he had grown to appreciate just how much of an advantage that was. If no one knew how smart you were, what skills you possessed, then they would underestimate you.

It had been integral to his career as Head Auror. To know every facet of what the enemy planned and thought and plan six steps ahead. Harry had always been good at improvising on the spot, coming up with spontaneous plans that had explosive results. Hermione had always been frighteningly intelligent and skilled in her own way. Ron…he'd had very little to contribute in those early years before he had realized that he'd looked over his own skills as easily as everyone else.

But Shikamaru had never developed those skills, and although he possessed Ron's memories, he'd never had to plan in the same way. Never on such a large scale and never with such high stakes. This world was far different from their past one. Shinobi were smarter than wizards, more adaptable and far more ready to kill to protect their own.

He glanced off to the side, where Asuma was working with Chouji on a kata, having given Ino time to work on her mind techniques. Shikamaru had always been content to laze around, even during the academy. He couldn't do that anymore. He didn't have the luxury to be any less motivated than Neji, who had a clan to defy, and Sasuke, who had a clan to avenge. Especially if he wanted to protect those close to him.

 _My dream is to protect my family, my friends, and live until I can see a world in which all I have to do is stare at the clouds._

He'd always been the one who already had everything, the one who started out with the perfect life and slowly, over the course of several years, lost bit by bit. No more. He wouldn't just sit at the side and watch the people in his life fall apart. With a semi-mournful sigh, Shikamaru forced himself to his feet and moved to join his team.

"Finished cloud-gazing?" Asuma sent him a half-surprised look, clearly having expected that he would nap for some time longer.

Shikamaru shrugged, falling back into his usual slouch, "I suppose so."

If Asuma noticed something wrong, he didn't comment on it, "Alright then," he held a cigarette between his lips, "Let's have a team spar. Shikamaru, Ino, you go first."

Ino's excited grin grew into a smirk, "This should be easy."

She was underestimating him, Shikamaru realized with an odd feeling of satisfaction. A young Ron would have hated it, but in the Shinobi nations, being underestimated was _perfect_.

It was the first time they would see each other's capabilities, and this was likely what Asuma was going for. They had only heard of each other's clan-specific techniques in theory, but never seen them in practice.

Ino grinned viciously across from him, her hands forming into her clan's trademark seals. He stood, slouching as if idle, hands stuffed in his pockets. Though his eyes were observant. The Nara and Yamanaka clans were close, just as they were to the Akimichi clan. He'd seen the Mind Switching technique before. Just once, when he had been very young. Once was enough to know what the last seal would be, and since Ino hadn't had enough practice to blur through her seals like most experienced Ninja, it was easy to spot when the technique was going to be released.

Shikamaru waited until the last second to step aside, watching with satisfaction as Ino released her jutsu. He dodged effortlessly, watching as Ino collapsed onto the ground.

Asuma sighed, walking over to pick her up, "Well, that was quick. At the very least, it will teach her not to use that technique so casually in the future."

The Mind Switch was only good when you had an opponent immobilized, or at best, unaware that he was a target. If it didn't hit, Ino would be rendered unconscious and unable to protect herself. It was a reason the Yamanaka worked so well with the Nara clan, whose very ability was meant to immobilize. Akimichis served as effective protection since neither of the other two clans produced powerhouses.

"I would have thought the Academy at least taught the basics of strategic combat?" Asuma turned to them, glancing at Chouji as he snacked on a packet of chips.

"Not really," Shikamaru mumbled, letting Chouji fill in the rest.

"They didn't let us spar with Ninjutsu. Just taijutsu. Academy style," Chouji informed between bites.

"Huh," Asuma blinked, "That's…a little…useless." He sighed again, running a hand through his hair in the kind of way that Harry would have done, "Well, we have a lot of work to do, then. Shikamaru, Chouji, you're next. Ninjutsu, taijutsu, whatever works. Go all out."

Sparring against Chouji was significantly more difficult and it resulted in the big-boned boy knocking Shikamaru out with a powerful punch. When he awoke some time later, the Nara was understandably disgruntled. There was a pang of uneasiness that lingered at his loss. He'd just become a genin. It was understood that he was weak. Yet to remain unskilled for very long…Shikamaru wouldn't last long.

When he returned to his clan home later that evening, Shikaku raised an eyebrow at the resolved glint in his son's eyes, at the way his mouth was tilted down in stubborn determination.

"Useful first day?"

"Hmm," Shikamaru responded, "Dad. Let's go over that shadow technique you were talking about earlier."

Without waiting for a response, the younger Nara walked out of the home and into their courtyard and the adjacent training ground.


	3. A Glimpse of Potential

_**Disclaimer:**_ _I don't own anything of Naruto or Harry Potter_

 _ **Summary:**_ _When Harry, Ron, and Hermione find themselves reincarnated into the world of Naruto as the night of Naruto's graduation, they must learn to adapt in a world far more sinister than their own, a world in which death and destruction make the world turn, and in which the strength to kill is the only deterrent to war._

 _ **Author's Notes:**_ _I've received a few comments of how Hermione being Neji is so surprising, and I have to admit that choosing Neji for Hermione's reincarnation was both the most difficult and easiest choice out of the trio, but I really couldn't imagine her being anyone else. It's also because for this story, I envision the trio being who they were at the end of their lives, past the horrors of the war and the rebuilding of their society. A darker, wiser trio that had done both good deeds and horrible crimes during the war, and embraced both sides to create change. People who had had an entire lifetime to become self-confident and accepting of who they were._

 _I guess I see Hermione as being too bold to fit in Hinata's shoes, or without Sakura's or Ino's naiveté. I see her as a person smart enough to come off as arrogant, and skilled enough to become frustrated when not respected. I know the gender change is a bit weird, but in my mind, Neji fit some of those aspects of her perfectly._

 _So I hope that explains a little more how I came to the choice for each of the trio. That's not to say that Sasuke, Neji, and Shikamaru are exactly like the Golden Trio (their own life experiences have altered them too much for that), but that many of the aspects of their personalities and situations fit._

 _As for the Deathly Hallows, I'm still not sure where they will fit into this story. I've thought of a few ideas (and scrapped just as many), and they still remain something I am playing around with in my own head._

 _Otherwise, this will be a pretty slow going story. I write when I have time and motivation and sometimes, the both of them don't match up._

* * *

 **Chapter 3: A Glimpse of Potential**

Shikamaru let out an explosive sigh as he stumbled back onto the carpet of Sasuke's living room. The Hyuuga beside him sent him a vaguely disgusted glance but Shikamaru ignored it with ease. Really, Ino's lectures were far more troublesome. Sasuke would have glared at him as well, if he hadn't been so busy being exhausted himself.

"No tea?" Shikamaru had at least that much energy to inquire.

This time, Sasuke did glare, "If you want it, get it yourself."

"You two are pathetic," Neji said flatly, "It's been a week? And you're already exhausted?"

"You've had a year to get used to this, already," Shikamaru muttered, his voice half muffled by the carpeted floor, "Dad pushed me hard, yesterday. I should never have asked him for those extra lessons."

"A motivated Nara, that's a surprise. Even more of a surprise considering who you were…"

The said Nara rolled his eyes and mumbled incoherently into the carpet.

"Kakashi has been pushing us, as well. He's been taking us to the outer training grounds, beyond the walls of the village, and tomorrow we'll be leaving for an extended training session," Sasuke said, gingerly pressing against a shallow cut on his arm.

"You don't have to do D-ranks?" Shikamaru looked somewhat envious. Asuma definitely had them doing less D-ranks than genin teams in previous years (at least, that was what Shikaku had told him), but to not have to do any...that was a level of bliss all of its own. Sasuke quickly absolved him of that notion.

"No, we do, but not as many as other genin teams. I think it depends on your sensei. We do about one a week." Sasuke then glanced at Neji, who had been oddly quiet after their discussion had started, "Anyways, what did you call this meeting for?"

Immediately, Neji tensed up. The Hyuuga prodigy's eyes darted to Sasuke, and then to Shikamaru who had become serious at the tense silence. Neji took in a deep breath. He'd never had to ask for something like this before. Not that he'd ever had the chance after his father was sacri—he grit his teeth in frustration..

"Both of you know about…" he struggled with the words, trying as best as he could to not show how difficult this was, "the policies of my clan."

Sasuke nodded, sitting straighter, "Of course. It's not exactly a well-kept secret from most shinobi, though the civilians might still be unaware."

"Right," Neji nodded, deciding to say it full out, "I want to change my clan." There really wasn't another way to say it.

Shikamaru's eyebrow rose in response, while Sasuke nodded slowly, "Alright."

Neji's brow furrowed, "That's it? You're not going to tell me it's impossible?"

The Nara snorted inelegantly, "You're the one with the weird obsession with fate."

Neji ignored the jibe. "I'm not sure how you know that."

Shikamaru shrugged, "Naruto was in your class. And I spoke to him sometimes. He talks a lot."

It was Sasuke's turn to snort. As if "he talks a lot" could ever fully describe just how chatty Naruto truly was. "Anyway," Sasuke looked at Neji, "I assume there's more to the plan?"

"There's not much of a plan yet," Neji admitted, "and unfortunately, the only person who can be of any use is Hinata-sama. She is the only one with the position and the will to do something about what my clan does, even if she doesn't have the skill."

It was strange how wistful this discussion was making him feel, as if they had done this a hundred times before. And perhaps they had. Harry, Ron, and Hermione had always schemed, even when there was nothing to scheme about. They had spent countless hours reviewing plan after plan, and somehow, this moment reminded him of that.

The dim light that made Sasuke's eerily empty home glow, cast soft shadows upon their faces. It felt like the calm before a storm, deep yet quiet. Neji recalled the countless hours that Hermione had spent pouring over large tomes and chewing upon her hair, the latter habit making him cringe slightly. At the time it was for Harry, but he needed their help now. Neji knew he had it. As little as they knew each other now, the bond between the Golden Trio had stood the test of even Death, transcending across entire worlds to exist in this dimension.

It would have made him balk at the thought of asking for help just a few weeks ago. The thought that anyone could possibly understand his situation. But now…Harry had lived a life with a family that absolutely despised him, and Ron…Ron's family had never known just how incredible he was until he had drawn himself outside of the shadows of his older siblings. If anyone would understand, it would likely be them. So he had swallowed his pride and requested the meeting this night. However, the bitter irony of it all didn't escape him. Hermione had spent so much of her life fighting for the rights of other magical creatures and muggles – and now to find her reincarnated form in the very situation she had abhorred, it made the rage in his stomach coil up and burn brighter.

"She wasn't bad in the Academy, but you're right. She wasn't exactly the highest scorer, either, even amongst just the kunoichi," Shikamaru nodded, putting a finger to his lips in thought, "She does seem a little too nice though, so I can see how she'd disapprove of what your clan does."

Sasuke nodded, grimacing slightly, "She was also the only girl in the class who didn't… _fangirl_."

Shikamaru grinned lazily.

Neji inclined his head, "For now, she is the heiress of the clan, but I'm not sure how long that will last. My clan has very…specific requirements for succession."

"What do you need from us?" It was Sasuke that spoke, quiet, but so steady as Harry had always been, calm in the face of Hermione's indecision.

"I would request to ally with the Uchiha clan. It is unlikely that this matter will ever reach the shinobi council, but if it does, the backing of another clan would be influential."

"Accepted," Sasuke nodded without any hesitation, "But if this goes to that level, you'll need more than the backing of a clan with just t—one remaining member."

The slip had Neji narrowing his eyes slightly, and out of the corner of his vision, he noticed Shikamaru doing the same. But for now, he let it slide.

"I agree, and I know that you aren't the head now, Shikamaru, but when you do become head of your clan, will you accept my request to ally?"

Shikamaru shrugged as if the issue wasn't a particularly troublesome matter, "Of course."

Neji let out a breath, just now realizing how tense he had become. The conversation had been unexpectedly easy, in spite of how much he had struggled with initiating it. He nodded in gratitude, a deeper nod that showed every ounce of respect he could bring himself to give.

* * *

Shikamaru eased into his concentrative state, letting the shadows stretch out from his body into the surrounding areas.

"Try to sense your shadows, where they are going, where you want them to go," Shikaku's deep voice was soothing, drawing his focus.

The exercise was making him feel groggy, and his mind wandered off to the last conversation in Sasuke's home. His concentration snapped and the shadows retreated again, disappearing as Shikamaru sighed.

"It'll take some practice," Shikaku said, a knowing, amused glint in his eyes as he looked at his frustrated son.

"Troublesome," Shikamaru muttered.

"All good things are," his father chuckled.

He ripped off the blindfold and tossed it carelessly aside, glaring up at the clouds above. He had been trying to extend his shadows while blind. It was a test of concentration and would help him use his clan's techniques quicker and with more accuracy in the future, even if he was blinded or disabled. It also wasn't coming to him easily.

Not for the first time Shikamaru regretted asking his father to extend their lessons. Well, he didn't regret it, exactly, but he did find it to be more of a drag than anything else. Except perhaps Ino's lectures. Even as Ron, he'd never been the first to learn new spells. That sort of talent was Hermione's, and sometimes Harry's.

Ron had never been magically powerful or skilled, but he'd learned to make do with what he had. So, with a sigh, Shikamaru settled down again and closed his eyes. It would just take a bit more practice, but in this life, the shadows were in his blood, and no one could deny that he was skilled with his family technique, as basic as his abilities were at this stage.

* * *

" _Pack for six days. We'll be back in Konoha for the seventh, for a D-rank."_

Kakashi was taking them out on a training trip. Well, it couldn't really be called a trip – they were heading out only a little ways away from Konoha, but it was a training leave. Though their sensei hadn't told them exactly what they would be working on.

Whatever it was, it was likely to be conducted in the same manner as any training they'd done in the village, as a team, working with each other. As strong as Kakashi seemed to be individually – Sasuke had looked him up in the shinobi archives – he placed a strong emphasis on team work. There were rumors of a bell test their own team had never been forced to go through, and Sasuke wondered what would have been their score if Team 7 had.

He considered the supply of shuriken and kunai placed upon his shelves, grabbing a few of each and tucking them into a pouch at his belt. Some ration bars were placed in his pack, along with a blanket and a couple extra sets of clothing. He didn't have a tent (he'd been meaning to get one but hadn't had the chance) so the blanket would have to do.

A filled canteen of water was slipped alongside of the ration bars. Sasuke then glanced towards his fridge for a few silent, contemplative seconds before coming to a decision. Quickly rummaging through his fridge, he pulled out a bag of ripe red tomatoes and placed them carefully at the top of his pack, making sure they wouldn't get crushed.

Making sure he wasn't missing anything, the Uchiha gave one last look to his empty home before slipping quietly away.

He arrived at the meeting grounds for Team 7 roughly two minutes before when Kakashi wanted to leave. It was barely six in the morning and most of Konoha was quiet, with only the sounds of birds breaking the silence. Sasuke yawned deeply as he arrived, surprised at Kakashi's wide awake form standing by the bridge.

"It's good that you're early," Kakashi gave him an eye-smile, "The other two will receive a lap around our new training ground…" the shinobi glanced at his watch, "for every minute they're late."

Sasuke winced. He wasn't sure how big the training ground was, but knowing Kakashi, the man would find some way of making it painful, however hypocritical he was being.

Naruto arrived three minutes late, looking as excited and awake as ever. Sakura arrived another five minutes after him, but Kakashi merely smiled and called them both closer.

"We'll be heading closer to the former land of Whirlpool. It's not too far away, but we'll be going to about a third of the way there."

"What are we going to be training in, sensei?" Sakura asked, being the first to voice the question the other two were wondering.

Kakashi merely gave her a smile.

They travelled for eight hours, taking only two breaks in between. Sasuke had long since passed his point of exhaustion, and when they stopped, Sakura was panting and flushed, seeming half-dead. Even Naruto seemed tired, rubbing at his legs. Sasuke had never known the blond ninja to ever run out of energy.

"We're here," Kakashi motioned.

Here was a small clearing, barely large enough to fit the three of them and their supplies. Surrounded by a dense, forested area, Sasuke could hear the constant stream of chirping birds and swaying leaves. The air was hot and humid, though there was no sign of water close by.

"Set up camp."

Sakura looked to the other two, "Did anyone bring a tent?"

"Oh, no," Kakashi smiled, an edge of sadistic pleasure to his tone, "You won't need one. Ninja don't always get the most pleasant conditions for rest. It's better that you get used to it early. Oh…and the nearest stream is about a half day's run from here, so you might not get a shower for a while." He said all this while being as pristinely clean as possible.

"And from now, I won't discourage the use of chakra, even in basic tasks, as long as you remember your own limits."

Sakura whimpered slightly, touching her already muddied hair in resignation, though Sasuke was surprised to notice that she didn't complain further. Instead, she nodded tiredly and moved to help Naruto set up the blankets. Even the blond boy was too exhausted to complain, or make much noise at all.

It wasn't too bad, though. Fortunately, Kakashi had let them keep what was in their packs, even Naruto's stash of Ramen and Sakura's twelve changes of clothes. He had given Sasuke's pack of tomatoes a somewhat amused look. As they huddled around a small fire that Sasuke had started with Gokakyu, cocooned in their blankets, Naruto snoring loudly from his side, Kakashi pulled out his orange book and smiled. His little genin were in for some fun tomorrow.

* * *

The next morning saw them waking up at 5 o'clock, courtesy of Kakashi performing a water jutsu to make them soaking wet. The only upside was that it got some of the grime off. They quickly gulped down whatever they had to eat, and Kakashi then sent Naruto and Sakura on the laps he had promised the day before, remarking with a chuckle, "It'll get the stiffness out of your legs." The additional forty pounds he'd strapped to their legs ensured that the stiffness would, in fact, _not_ go.

Sakura groaned, but didn't complain as she started on her run. Then, Kakashi turned to Sasuke with a serious look to his eyes, "We need to have a talk, Sasuke."

Sasuke nodded, and allowed the older ninja to lead him to the fire pit, now long extinguished. The morning air was brisk and slightly chilly, and he shivered as he sat down, though he wondered if it was to do with the cold or the apprehension he now felt. Kakashi looked at him as soon as they sat down. His singular eye was serious, intensely gazing at him as if he were trying to pick Sasuke's mind apart.

"What did you want to talk about?" It was the Uchiha who made the first move, tiring of Kakashi's staring.

"In light of recent intelligence, the Hokage has requested that I turn this team into a First-Line Assault Team. Flat."

Sasuke stared dubiously, " _Flat?_ "

"Flat," Kakashi smiled in amusement.

"Alright," Sasuke conceded for a moment, thinking it would be best to ignore the name entirely, "But why are you telling _me_ this?"

"Oh, don't worry, Sasuke. I'll be having a talk like this with your other two teammates as well. Though I figured I'd get you out of the way first."

Suddenly, Sasuke felt a sense of foreboding. Perhaps it was because of the way that Kakashi's one eye focussed on him intensely, his mouth stretched into a slight frown behind his mask.

"What about?"

"I want to talk about Itachi."

Oh. Foreboding hadn't really been enough of a word to cover it.

Sasuke glared, feeling something like defensive hostility creeping up into his expression, "What about him?"

Kakashi seemed unperturbed, not willing to beat around the bush, "I want to have your assurance that your grudge against Itachi will not compromise this team, nor any of its missions." Grudge. He'd said it like it was something so easy to brush aside, an insignificant annoyance at best.

The Uchiha bristled, "I haven't given you any reason to think that it will be."

"No," Kakashi admitted, "Though you have been labeled a potential 'flight risk'. A high chance, in fact. Though…" Kakashi glanced at him consideringly, at the way Sasuke tensed as if he were going to protest or glare, "You're not the only one in this team."

Sasuke looked up at that, surprised. Although, it did make sense in a way. "Naruto?"

The silver-haired shinobi nodded.

"That's ridiculous," Sasuke snorted, "Even I can tell he loves this village and I haven't even known him for very long."

"True, but there's only so much one can take," the knowing glint in Kakashi's eyes told him that he knew Sasuke had noticed the glaring and verbal abuse. He looked at Sasuke almost gently, "This training outside the village is not only for you, Sasuke. It's for this team. And if you're to be a part of it, I can assure you that I will do my best to turn this team into the most capable and deadly team Konoha has ever seen. But I need your assurance that you will not let your brother compromise this."

Power. Skill. Knowledge. It was all Sasuke had ever wanted, and for the first time, he was being offered all of it. In return, he would have to give up on Itachi. A month ago, he would have been too naïve to accept, too cocky and arrogant to accept help when he so desperately needed it. Too blind in the face of Itachi's crimes to think beyond the situation.

 _But_ …he glanced at Kakashi thoughtfully, the older shinobi giving him time to think. _He's already given me time away from Konoha_. Time away from the countless stares and praises for being the last of his dead family. And he's giving me the chance to build another. Sasuke had already lost his family once, and Harry had never known his, except for the family that had abused and neglected him for the majority of his childhood. It wasn't something he'd ever admitted, but the thought of living like this for the rest of his life…if Sasuke was being given a chance to find another family, however broken and misshapen it was, he would grasp it with both hands.

As for Itachi, well, he wasn't sure about _that_ situation anyway. His brother would have to wait, for now, or come seek him out on his own.

"Alright," Sasuke nodded, "I accept." The steely resolve and fiery determination that rung out in his tone was completely cut out by Kakashi ruffling his hair lightly, a small but relieved smile in his eyes as Sasuke glared in embarrassment. He had enough memories of Harry's incomprehensibly messy hair to have enough of _ruffling_ for an entire second lifetime.

Kakashi wasn't so naïve to think that a simple promise would keep the Itachi complication at bay forever, but it was a start. That Sasuke was willing to at least promise to put aside his grudge in favour of his team spoke well of him, better than Kakashi could have hoped. Certainly different from what the countless reports on the Last Uchiha had told him. It was definitely a start.

"There's another thing I wanted to talk to you about."

"Oh?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow, not sure what else was left after their finished conversation.

"There was a reason you were put on my team," Kakashi stated, reaching up to push up his hitai-ate. It would be better to get this out of the way now, if he was ever to get Sasuke to fully trust him. Better the Uchiha find out now than on the battlefield, when he would resent Kakashi from keeping this from him. The blazing red eye of the Sharingan focussed on his student, staring at him with no little measure of surprise.

"Wh—how…?"

"My teammate was an Uchiha," the older shinobi said flatly, trying to keep his face blank, "your cousin, I believe."

Sasuke must have noticed that this was a delicate subject for him. The fact that Kakashi now had his cousin's eye could only mean one thing, after all. "Who was it?"

"Uchiha Obito."

The Last Uchiha said nothing. He knew the story of Kakashi's father. The man was legend, after all, the famed White Fang of Konoha who committed suicide shortly after a disastrous mission. To lose a team member after losing one's own family – it explained a little of Kakashi's numerous quirks. Oddities were things that shinobi picked up to keep themselves sane.

He idly wondered if Kakashi had shared what little he had of this story to build some sort of link with him. To show that he could empathize with Sasuke's own situation. Even a skilled jounin like him couldn't be above manipulation. For now, he took the story as it was, recognizing the awkward tenseness present in every muscle in his sensei's shoulders, and nodded acceptingly.

"Sensei," Sasuke asked after a couple minutes.

Kakashi lifted his eyes from the pages of his orange book, "Hmm?"

"What you told us…that was supposed to be classified information, wasn't it?" Sasuke highly suspected it was, and by Kakashi's innocent smile, he was proven right.

Of course, his sensei wasn't the kind of person to stick to appropriate rules – most good shinobi weren't, but he hadn't expected to be given classified information until at least having reached Chuunin. Not even the shred of information that Kakashi had shared now.

"Why?"

Kakashi merely shrugged.

Sasuke wasn't sure what to feel about that. On one hand, the shinobi was being utterly irritating, holding back information as easily as he spit it out. On the other hand…Sasuke had been too young to truly understand the massacre, and it wasn't until recently that he suspected some behind-the-scenes workings. Unfortunately, he'd been a child at the time, not involved in any of the clan's dealings.

And Harry…one thing of those memories perhaps haunted him more than anything else. The not knowing. Harry's life had been filled with struggle from the moment he'd been born, but it wasn't until his seventh year when he'd truly been able to fit all the pieces of the prophecy together, to fully realize what being an unintended horcrux would mean for him. He'd been led by the leash ever since he'd come into the wizarding world. And not knowing had almost killed him more times than Sasuke could count.

Sasuke didn't want that for this life. _His_ life. Not in a world that was so much dangerous than Harry's own. So he was, in a way, grateful for Kakashi's willingness to share, however much he did. If the older shinobi was attempting to instill a sense of trust, then Sasuke would deal with it as it came.

* * *

"Shikamaru," It was surprisingly, Ino who had noticed first, "Are you ok?"

Now _that_ was even more surprising. He'd expected a more intense (violent) response to his uncharacteristic motivation to train. Or perhaps a snide comment about how it was about time.

"I'm fine," Shikamaru said. It was lucky, he supposed, that shinobi were all somewhat lacking in the emotion department. Most only had a very limited range of emotions, never as fully expansive as civilians tended to (anger, vengefulness, depression, mostly negative ones). It was certainly something that Ron would have appreciated, because Shikamaru's dull tone didn't raise any suspicion from his blond teammate. Perhaps Ino would become a fearsome interrogator one day, but she was certainly not now.

"Alright," she said, flouncing off to bother Asuma with one of her taijutsu positions.

"He'd made no further progress with his father's exercise. Shikaku had eventually sighed and looked at him strangely, but made no comment as he pat Shikamaru on the shoulder and headed inside. Shikamaru had stayed out for a few more hours gazing at the sky.

The Nara had always been a clan born from shadow. Fiercely intelligent yet not very physically strong, they had always prided themselves on their minds and ability for shadow manipulation. It was something that took innate knowledge of one's self – both strengths and weaknesses. To know and accept the darkness in your own heart as easily as you accepted the light.

It was something Shikamaru had been struggling with, though he wasn't sure if he was alone in his struggles. Neji and Sasuke had both mentioned how conflicted they often felt, but for a Nara, this sort of self-doubt was crippling. He needed to sort his own thoughts out, and he wouldn't be able to truly use his shadows until he was able to accept all aspects of himself.

But his memories of Ron's life haunted him. Shikamaru had always been happy to accept that he was lazy and unmotivated. In a way, Ron's childhood had been very similar…and yet how things had changed. There were mistakes Ron had made, mistakes that had gotten people killed simply because Ron had been too unskilled or helpless to make a difference. Shikamaru never wanted to experience losing half his family in a war – a war that statistically, he was sure to see in his own lifetime.

He never wanted to see Chouji lying unseeing on the ground, ear cut off and blood pooling underneath him. Nor Ino hanging from the ceiling, choked to death using her own hair. After the war and reconstruction effort, Ron had focussed on becoming an auror with almost single-minded intensity, so sure that he could avenge his family's deaths all on his own. Shikamaru didn't want to turn out that way, into a husk of himself. It had made him conflicted, shocking him into awareness with such a jerk that he didn't know how to sort out the thoughts in his own mind. He'd delved into training with an intensity that he knew had made others surprised, perhaps even suspicious, if only to keep himself distracted. This time around, not to avenge, but to protect.

Sasuke had experienced the pain of having his family massacred, and Neji had struggled most of his life to defy his family's traditions, but Shikamaru…Shikamaru had always had a pleasant life. Free from pain, struggle. Even his father being Jounin Commander ensured that he worked a mostly desk job, planning strategies but never truly engaging in a fight himself. He was too sheltered for this world, and that had to change.

* * *

Kakashi sat in a tree, idly watching his genin run a few more laps before he let them rest. They were already panting, even Naruto who usually had boundless stamina. Sasuke was clearly trying (but failing) to even out his breathing by taking slow, deep breaths as he ran. Sakura had already collapsed a few laps back, now managing a mere slow, stumbling jog.

He wondered how to train them. Kakashi had never had a team before, especially one as odd as this one. They each had their own potential, and were quite complementary to each other in terms of skill set alone, but to get them to truly _rely_ on each other – that would be more difficult. Sasuke, while less cold than he had been initially, was still stiff and prone to secluding himself. Naruto was just as arrogant as Sasuke, without any of the skills to back it up. He had immense amounts of chakra that would only help him in the future, but little control as of yet.

And Sakura…her attitude towards her training had certainly improved since the verbal lashing Sasuke had given her a few days ago, but her lack of stamina and speed were problems that would not be overcome overnight.

They had completed the tree climbing exercise faster than he had expected, and Sakura had taken to water-walking like she was born for it. Sasuke and Naruto had soon progressed to that as well, and while not as expert at it as Sakura, they were able to walk on water quite well.

Tomorrow would begin the next phase of the training.


	4. The Barriers We Overcome

_**Disclaimer:**_ _I don't own anything of Naruto or Harry Potter_

 _ **Summary:**_ _When Harry, Ron, and Hermione find themselves reincarnated into the world of Naruto as the night of Naruto's graduation, they must learn to adapt in a world far more sinister than their own, a world in which death and destruction make the world turn, and in which the strength to kill is the only deterrent to war._

 _ **Author's Notes:**_ _Thank you to all of you who reviewed. It gives me a lot of motivation to keep this story going, and I have a lot in store for our characters :) This chapter has been a little fast paced for Team 7, but I wanted to get some of the background done with before moving on._

* * *

 **Chapter 3: The Barriers We Overcome**

Sasuke panted heavily, water dripping down from his hair onto his already soaked clothes. Naruto fared no better beside him, though less breathless, was soaked even more than Sasuke. Water-walking. For such a useful ability, it really was a pain to accomplish. They'd already become quite good at it, until Kakashi had made them spar on top of the water. Sparring used up all their concentration, focus which would have otherwise gone into channelling the appropriate amount of chakra to their feet.

Sakura had already become quite adept, but instead of giving her a break, Kakashi had sent her on an endurance building run with little more than a cheerful smile. It was only the second day.

"Sasuke," Naruto said, his breath coming out in harsh exhales.

"Hn."

"We're going to get this stupid thing by the end of the today," Naruto looked over at him and grinned, his eyes glowing with competitive resolve.

Sasuke smirked, "Of course, dobe."

"Teme," Naruto's grin widened, and he pushed himself up onto unsteady feet and made his way back to the water's edge. While they were only a third of the way to the land of Whirlpools, the waters here were not as still as they were near Konoha. Kakashi had probably planned it that way, Sasuke thought with a snort. It seemed like their sensei was abiding by his promise, after all. To train them into the best team Konoha had ever seen. He certainly hadn't held back in his methods.

"Sakura, hunt for food," Kakashi told them later that day, just as the sky was starting to turn dark. Sasuke and Naruto had both completed the water-walking exercise, just barely. They still wobbled slightly when the tides came in, Naruto even more than Sasuke with his immense chakra reserves, but they _were_ able to hold a good spar on top of the water's surface. "Sasuke, you are going to cook. Naruto, set up the bedding and the rest of our supplies."

"Hunt, sensei?" Sakura said, a slight tremor in her tone.

"You've never seen death, have you, Sakura?" though Kakashi's lips were upturned in a slight smile, his eye was sharp, flitting over to glance at Sasuke and Naruto from his periphery.

Sakura gasped lightly, "N-no, sensei."

"Well," Kakashi shrugged, "You might as well start now. Animals are far easier than what you'll do in the future." He'd thought about sugar-coating it. Thought about making the words come out easier and to spare her the rude awakening, but to do that would insult her. And his team. They all had to get used to it, so the sooner, the better. And Sakura was really the first step in that regard.

She squared her shoulders in resigned acceptance, "Alright, sensei. I'll…be back soon." With that, Sakura turned and sprinted into the forests surrounding their camp.

Naruto turned towards their supplies, while Sasuke moved to set up a small fire at the centre, bringing out a few meagre supplies of herbs and seasonings they'd managed to scrounge together from their packs.

It was almost an hour before Sakura returned, her pink hair in disarray and with even more rips in her clothing, but she was holding two dead rabbits and some sort of bird with a look of half-triumph and half-guilt.

"Well done, Sakura," Kakashi praised, giving her the courtesy of ignoring her guilty glance at the rabbits as he directed her towards Sasuke.

Sasuke nodded, taking them from Sakura with a polite, "Thanks."

Naruto came up to her, grinning widely and throwing an arm over her shoulder, "That was awesome, Sakura-chan! I can't wait! I'm starving," he threw a somewhat dirty glance towards Sasuke, "Hey Teme! You better make it taste good."

Sasuke rolled his eyes, and started to seasoning the meat, Naruto hovering over him curiously.

"Hey, teme! Do you know how to cook?"

 _Harry did_ , he thought inwardly. Out of all the memories he had of Harry, perhaps those of the Dursleys were the most nauseating. It wasn't that they were more terrifying than many of his later memories of death and blood and screams that stretched on in the darkness. In a way, those things were the shinobi way of life. Instead, his memories of the Dursleys evoked a sense of helplessness.

He didn't have any memories of them physically abusing Harry, but the way they'd lorded their own authority over his past self had made Sasuke realize just how little control Harry had had over his own life. As if the Dursleys _could_ have hurt him, and Harry would have been able to do nothing. Could have _killed_ him even, and he would have been powerless to fight back. Even more powerless than facing a skeletal Voldemort in an old graveyard with only a wand given back to him out of whim.

Like the time his own brother had clenched his fingers around Sasuke's throat, lifted him from the ground and looked at him with eyes redder than blood. Impassionate. Uncaring. And with full knowledge of his own power over Sasuke.

He was suddenly brought out of his own thoughts by Sakura whacking Naruto upside the head.

"Idiot!" she whispered sharply, moving to whisper a few more words into his ear that the Uchiha didn't care enough to overhear, but he did notice Naruto rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly, an expression of mild guilt on his face.

"Why don't you tell me after you try it, dobe?" Sasuke smirked up at him, ignoring Naruto's apologetic expression.

The blond looked surprised for a moment, then grinned at him in challenge.

The food ended up being delicious, Sasuke thought somewhat bitterly. Of course it did. He'd had enough experience taking care of himself to fill two lives. Naruto gave him a happy grin and a "You should cook more often, teme!" Sakura agreed softly and Kakashi smiled his typical smile, and the weight upon his chest deceased somewhat. Perhaps he could make better memories to go with this skill.

At the end of it all, Sasuke merely rolled his eyes and grunted, though the smirk on his face was warmer than it usually was.

* * *

Neji took a deep breath, hardening his resolve. Why was this so hard? He'd faced worse things before, in this life and certainly in the previous…but Hermione had never had to ask for help. At least, not from anyone outside of Harry and Ron. Her own skill and knowledge had been enough. And Neji had always had too much pride to lower himself down so much.

He glared, emotions and chakra leaking out into his eyes and causing the veins of the Byakugan to appear. 360 degree vision filled his senses, and just at the edge of his Byakugan's range, he saw her. Hyuuga Hinata, walking away from her team after training, sending them a shy but happy smile as her feet brought her closer and closer to him.

It made him feel odd, waiting for her like this, as if he were… _stalking_ her. But to approach her anywhere else, _especially_ the Hyuuga compound, would be suicide. Hermione had always known the meaning of subtlety. It had been what had kept her alive many of those early years. And while Neji had always been blunt and bitter, he'd known when to stay out of the way of others in more powerful positions. Particularly the elders of his clan.

It was those elders he was hoping to avoid now. This entire plan – his fate – would now hinge on how long he could keep this secret.

"Hinata-sama," he called out in his usual monotone voice, refraining from rolling his eyes when she squeaked, startled. Whirling around, Hinata stared at him.

"N-Neji nii-s-san!"

He took a step forward, carefully, measuring her reactions. The slight flinch she tried to hide and the way her foot took a step back warily, her body twisting towards the direction her teammates were in. She was cautious, perhaps even a little scared. Neji frowned inwardly. He knew he looked suspicious like this, waiting at the edge of her training ground for her to arrive.

"What are you doing here?"

He hesitated, the veins around his eyes fading to his normal pupil-less gaze, "I have a…proposition for you."

Hinata's eyes widened, her mouth falling open into a small 'o', "W-what?" She pushed her fingers together in nervousness.

Neji sighed. Even Harry hadn't been this…shy. Not even during his first year. Well, then he just needed to be blunt. "You will never lead the Hyuuga clan. Not at this rate."

She flinched back as if struck, her wide eyes turning glassy.

"You won't," Neji repeated, his voice firm yet not scolding, not demeaning, "Not unless something changes. Unless you becomes stronger."

Hinata's lips trembled, as if she wanted to say something but couldn't get the words out, "I-I…"

"The Elders lean towards Hanabi. You know this. They will make their final decision soon and you will be relegated to the Branch House, with the same seal upon your forehead."

She flinched again, but he could sense something like desperation leaking into her tense form.

He'd almost crossed it. That line she'd drawn around herself. "The Hyuuga clan would never tolerate a weak leader, and you are weak."

Hinata turned away from him, her own Byakugan coming out as an angry, frustrated glare, "I-I know that a-already! Is t-that all y-you c-c-came to t-tell me?" She spat the words out to the side, eyes blazing with inner turmoil.

Neji was surprised for a moment. He'd always known his cousin was soft, far too gentle to ever fit in with the Hyuuga clan. It was the reason she had lost her position as Heiress to her younger sister, unable to truly fight or harm her sister to keep her status. But this…this was more anger than distress. Hinata was more frustrated than she was sorrowful, desperate than resigned, and that meant that there was hope.

"No," he softened his voice for a moment, watching as Hinata's tense muscles relaxed slightly. "I want you to train with me."

For a flash of a moment the rage dimmed and surprise took its place. "W-what?" Her eyes narrowed, frustration rising up again, "Why?"

"Because the Chuunin exams will be here soon, and if you are ever to reclaim your position as Heiress, then you will need to show a display of strength far surpassing that of your sister. I don't know if your sensei will nominate you for the exams, but if you are not in this year, you will certainly be in the next."

Hinata's eyes closed, her Byakugan fading away. Her lower lip quivered, "I-I don't t-think…"

"You _have_ to. It will be your last chance," Neji's eyes blazed. There was so much in Hinata that reminded him painfully of his memories as Hermione. Hermione had always been an insecure girl when she had been young, constantly bullied for her intellect and skills. Even during those early months at Hogwarts.

Yet…something had changed. Harry and Ron had changed her, made her rely less on authority and more on her own ability. With that she had had the power to change the entire stage of wizarding world politics. And if _he_ could bring about that change in Hinata…

"Train with me," Neji repeated, turning his Byakugan off and locking eyes with her.

"Why?" Hinata spoke harshly, "W-what do you g-get out of t-this?"

Here it was. The defining moment. Neji took a deep breath unsteadily, "If you get back your position…if you one day rule this clan…then in return I want you to abolish the caged bird seal."

She gasped, eyes wide and locked on to Neji's face as if scrying for some form of lie in his expression. Hinata had always hated that seal. She'd always felt it too cruel, too unjust to rip away the freedom of so many of her clan in that manner, to tie them forever into serving the Main house. And she had lost hope of ever abolishing that seal when she had been brushed aside for Hanabi-chan.

Though, there was perhaps one person who hated that seal even more than she did. Neji had lost his father and his freedom simply because his father was born minutes later than her own. Her eyes flicked up to his hitai-ate, covering the seal she knew was beneath it.

It was a win-win situation for her, but would he even be able to help her? Her own father had tried training her for years before giving up and focussing on her sister. Even now, though her taijutsu was strong, she often lost against both Kiba and Shino.

Her insecurities must have shown on her face, because Neji sighed. And perhaps it was that, the expression of disappointment on his face that tipped the scales. She'd seen the same expression on her father's face, on Kurenai sensei's face, on her teammate's faces when she pulled back a spar-ending punch, on her own face each day in the mirror. Seeing it on Neji's face was one person too many.

"Alright," she blurted out before she could change her mind, and Neji looked at her, a slight expression of surprise on his face. He'd expected her to decline, and that she'd proved someone wrong, even for something so small, sent victory coursing through her veins. It mirrored the subtle hint of triumph she saw in his eyes.

She took a deep, shuddering breath, "If…if you t-train with m-me, and I r-r-rule the c-clan one day, then I w-will remove the t-tradition of t-the caged b-bird seal."

He let out a relieved breath that seemed more like a hiss than a sigh, one of victory and a tinge of hope, and it was the first time she'd seen him express anything other than disdain and contempt towards her. Why? What was the point of this? He could have easily gone to Hanabi and found some way of convincing her. Surely that would have been easier. Why her?

Whatever his reasons were, though, Hinata had already agreed. And she was prepared.

* * *

Shikamaru lazily ran through his evening lap. Not having made any more progress on his blindfold exercise, his father had suggested leaving it for now until Shikamaru could figure it out himself. There was, after all, no more help his father could give him on the exercise.

He stopped at the outskirts of his clan territory, near the fields in which they raised their deer. Stretching his legs and arms, Shikamaru sighed, exhausted. He stepped over the fence and walked into the field, giving the deer a wide enough berth that they wouldn't feel uncomfortable.

Lazy footsteps trailed through the blades of grass until he stopped, plopped down on the grass and crossed his hands in front of his eyes for a quick nap. That was the idea anyway, but as Shikamaru closed his eyes, his mind unwittingly strayed towards his past memories.

" _You're amazing, Ron," Hermione stated fiercely, gripping his hands tightly as she leaned forward. A lock of her brown hair was scratching his face, she was so close. "You're amazing," she breathed again, "We never would have been able to do this without you. We know that. You know it. The rest of the world just doesn't know it yet."_

 _It was dark outside, ocean waves crashing against the beaches and lightening sparking overhead. They'd picked a worn-down, rickety shack, a place eerily reminiscent of one of Riddles' horcrux hideouts. Moonlight streamed through one of the broken windows, sand and dust covering the floorboards on which they sat. It was strangely comforting though._

 _Harry's victory over Voldemort had made them famous beyond compare. They couldn't go anywhere without someone shaking their hand or praising their work – civilians who had mostly been unaware of the true horrors of the war. It was…jarring. Ron couldn't go anywhere without recoiling in fear every time someone so much as touched him. He'd seen Harry hide away in his home for days on end, on more than one occasion, and Hermione was prone to working herself to death to get away from it all._

 _Harry's green eyes were vibrant in the darkness, and he gazed at Ron with a kind of fondness brought on only by kinship and shared experience. It was evident in every line in his war-weary face, in the way his mouth quirked up just slightly whenever in his or Hermione's presence._

" _You've always poked these little holes into our every strategy – but you never realized that whatever outcome you predicted would_ always _happen. It's the reason we were able to stay a step ahead of them at all." Harry's words were honest and firm, and it warmed him slightly. After a lifetime of living with the Dursleys and with the constant threat of Voldemort, Harry was nothing if not observant._

" _It's a gift, Ron," Hermione whispered, moving even closer as she grasped one of Harry's hand in hers, her other still holding Ron's wrist tightly. She smiled at the both of them, one that was as jagged as it was soft. War had changed her so much. "It's a gift you could change our world with."_

Shikamaru didn't jerk awake. Nor did sweat dampen his clothes. Instead, his eyes opened calmly, in the same way he generally woke up. He wasn't sure if he had dozed off or was merely daydreaming, but the memory, as painful as it was, had brought on a sense of realization.

He'd been pushing himself so hard, in entirely the wrong direction. Yes, he needed to be strong and capable physically in order to protect what was important to him, but that wasn't his strength. In trying to prevent his past life from happening all over again, he'd forgotten what had made him strong, in that life and in this one.

Shikamaru was _smart_. Smarter than most people would ever realize and with a sharpness that lead to ruthless strategy and an ability to always stay one step ahead. Hermione had always been seen as the intelligent one, her academic excellence far more flashy than Ron's subtle skill at tactics. Ron had always been a strategic mastermind, but Shikamaru's inherent talents at that outstripped that of even his past self. Perhaps it only showed in games of shougi for now, or in team exercises where he was made to spar against Ino or Chouji, but Shikamaru had no doubt that his strongest asset was his mind.

Perhaps he would never have Harry's skill in combat, or Hermione's inherent talent, but he didn't need those to protect his team, or his family. Somewhere along the way, in retaining his memories, he'd forgotten parts of himself and tried to replace them with parts of Ron. That wasn't right though. He had been Ron, but he was now Shikamaru, and as similar as they were, they were also completely different individuals.

Shikamaru's life would be different because Shikamaru _himself_ was different, and trying to fit in Ron's shoes – at this stage of his life – was impossible either way. Perhaps even in the future. With a lazy grin, Shikamaru got up and trudged his way back to his home.

Later, when his father arrived, stepped in through the door and froze unexpectedly, he glanced up to see Shikamaru lounging on the steps with a blindfold around his eyes and a smug smile upon his lips.

It wasn't perfect yet (his shadow wavered a bit too much to be perfect), but it was progress. Shikaku chuckled indulgently.

* * *

Sasuke let himself sigh, exhausted. Kakashi had worked them tirelessly, having them running drills for hours before making them spar. He'd assigned them each a scroll to work on over the course of next week – whatever time they had to spare. Sasuke was too tired to even look at it. They'd come back just this night, to sleep, work on a D-rank tomorrow, and head back out of the village for more training. This week would start seeing them specialize into their own areas, whereas last week was largely spent increasing Sakura's endurance, fixing Naruto's katas, and working on increasing Sasuke's own repertoire.

"I gauged your weaknesses the first day," Kakashi had spoken with a typical smile, "And this week has been about working on them enough to get started on your specialties. We will still continue to work on the basics, but we'll work on your strengths in the coming weeks."

He was turning out to be a surprisingly good teacher, patient, but not indifferent. Sakura, while not a stamina-freak like Naruto, had improved greatly, even showing the beginnings of muscle tone. Naruto had been worked into the ground _in spite_ of his tremendous stamina, which usually made him too tired to be his loud, obnoxious self for long. And Sasuke…while he was clearly ahead of both his team mates in terms of basics, Kakashi had not ignored him, instead working on teaching Sasuke how to combine his skills more imaginatively, use his wires and taijutsu in a way that proved more effective in combat.

"You have the skill, Sasuke," Kakashi had said, "but you need to be more unpredictable. If you are predictable, every amount of skill means nothing."

Now, he was home for one night, and he felt more alone now than during an entire week in the forests. The compound was eerily quiet, an ordinary night in his home if not for what he was about to do.

 _I want your assurance that your grudge against Itachi will not compromise this team._

Sasuke took a deep breath, steeling himself for the fifteenth time, his feet refusing to move from where they were stuck to the floor. The metal of the door handle felt cool against his fingers, but his hands were hot and sticky from sweat. He hadn't ever thought he would enter this room again. Even consider it. _Itachi_.

His memories had made him question his entire life, everything he had thought was black and white. Harry's life had never been so clear-cut. As a shinobi living in a village full of shinobi, could his own life be anything less than complicated? Shinobi were ruthless yet incredibly loyal to their own village. Everything that had happened with Itachi – things were never so simple.

He remembered the vague memories of his elder brother, the way Itachi had been so soft-spoken, respectful even to his parents. Even to the father who neglected Sasuke in order to favour his eldest child. He remembered the fondness Itachi had held for their mother, the affection with which he had taken out time to play with Sasuke. What had hurt most after the massacre was that everything he had known about his brother was a lie…but since when were things so simple?

It had always been the same with Harry, stumbling through the darkness, with only a sliver of truth to guide the way. He wouldn't tolerate the same thing in this life. Sasuke would find out the truth, and it started in this room.

Breathing sharply through his nose, he grasped at the handle and twisted, easing the door open before giving his brain another chance to rethink his own actions. Sasuke took that first step. The room was dusty and smelled stale with disuse. That was his first impression. What a simple thing to encompass the man that destroyed his family.

There were kunai placed neatly in a row upon a corner desk, still sharp though coated in dust that dulled their shine. The bed was clean with blankets folded neatly on top. Scrolls lay in a bookshelf at the far end of the room. Sasuke walked towards them and his breath caught in his throat. Upon the bookshelf were a few picture frames, all of him, and one with their mother.

One showed a toddling Sasuke, all wide eyes and dimpled cheeks as he grinned up at the camera with a play kunai in his hand. Only one had a picture of Itachi, holding Sasuke carefully and balancing him on his lap. The fondness and love in his eyes was unmistakeable.

Then why? Why kill his own family and sentence Sasuke to a miserable life spent alone? Why all this, if Itachi had loved them?

There was more to all of this, more to his brother. Something that either Konoha was covering up, or Itachi was. It was fortunate, Sasuke thought, that Harry had always been good at figuring out secrets.

It was hours before Sasuke came out of the room, tear tracks having long dried on his face and clothes and skin coated in dust. Trudging exhaustedly to his room, he fell on the bed and immediately fell asleep.


	5. Laying the Foundations

_**Disclaimer:**_ _I don't own anything of Naruto or Harry Potter_

 _ **Summary:**_ _When Harry, Ron, and Hermione find themselves reincarnated into the world of Naruto as the night of Naruto's graduation, they must learn to adapt in a world far more sinister than their own, a world in which death and destruction make the world turn, and in which the strength to kill is the only deterrent to war._

 _ **Author's Notes:**_ _This chapter is primarily Sasuke-centric, with a bit of Neji thrown in. Sorry, no Shikamaru. Sasuke just had too many issues. :) Next chapter will have a bit more of him._

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Laying the Foundations**

Grief was an emotion that Sasuke was intimately familiar with. So much so that he had learned how to make himself cold and unfeeling towards it, so that it would not affect his training. He had always followed a routine, waking up at 5am each morning to begin his training for the day. It was, therefore, with no little amount of surprised when a loud banging on his window pane woke him up in the morning, past his normal wake-up time.

He'd slept in, Sasuke realized groggily, as he tried to stumble his way towards his bedroom window.

"Hurry up, teme!" Naruto's voice sounded muffled from outside, but loud enough that he could hear the words clearly.

Sasuke groaned.

He jerked his head towards the door in agitation, making his way to the front of the house. Naruto bounded in as soon as his front door was a crack open, Sakura following with wide eyes. Kakashi-sensei, as he was prone to doing in the village, had his nose stuck in his orange book (training them no longer left enough time for his favourite hobby, and he'd taken up to doing it at all hours when in the village).

"Why are you still asleep, teme?!" Naruto whined, "We've been waiting for you for an hour!"

"An hour?"

"Yeah, dattebayo! We were supposed to meet at the bridge around 7 for our D-rank, remember?"

"Hn."

"That's not even a wor-" Naruto cut off suddenly.

"What?" Sasuke snapped as he realized that both of his team mates looked slightly concerned.

"Are you ok, Sasuke-kun?" It was Sakura who questioned, fidgeting with a lock of her shocking hair, "You don't look like you got much sleep."

 _That_ brought up all sorts of memories of the night before that he wasn't sure he wanted to process just yet. Last night had been about mourning, about giving into the fear and desperation that had haunted his every action for so long. It had been about the realization that while he could pull himself away from his own emotions, they would eventually come back to him, explosively.

Harry had always been prone to holding in his emotions, to bottling up his frustrations until he finally snapped with the full weight of it all. Sasuke didn't bottle them up. He detached himself from them entirely, but in the end, they were his after all. He would have to face them eventually.

He stiffened at the reminder, at the thought of how disheveled and sleep-deprived he must look at the moment, and turned away, tense, not seeing Kakashi's eyes narrow in thought.

"Five minutes."

He was out of his room in four, dressed in his usual outfit, nothing out of place.

"Let's go get our mission," Kakashi said, leading them to the Hokage tower.

Naruto bounded forward as soon as they stepped into the Hokage's office, "Hey old man! We're here for a d-rank!" Somewhere in the background, Sakura choked on air.

"Naruto," the Hokage said warmly, putting aside some paperwork he had been working on. "I believe I do have a selection of missions."

"Hokage-sama," Kakashi interjected, "May we request the Tora mission, if it's available?"

The Hokage looked delighted, "Oho. Of course. That one is _always_ available."

The three genin shuddered slightly, feeling a tingle of apprehension slither down their spines.

* * *

Neji landed another strike. Hinata collapsed on the ground, breathing heavily and eyes watering from pain.

It was the first time he had met her for training, and Neji had had them spar to test her skills. So far, they were lacking, but there _was_ potential there. If only a glimmer of it for now. It was in the way Hinata moved, the way her limbs moved fluidly from one stance to the next, though her body was hardly fast enough for it to be of any use. This was the fourth time he had knocked her to the ground, and Neji hadn't even broken a sweat.

She was also too unwilling to put any real force behind her punches. She held back too much, not intentionally, but subconsciously, and that was a far bigger problem he would have to address. Subconscious habits were harder to break. Though, behind the moves of a girl who couldn't bring herself to cause harm, was an odd sort of aggressiveness brought on by desperation. And desperation was a dangerous thing, perhaps even something Neji could use to make her stronger.

Hinata forced herself to her feet, panting and sweating, hair sticking to her face.

"Again," she rasped.

"No," Neji turned away from her, pocketing a kunai.

Hinata's eyes blazed, "A-Again! I n-need to—"

"You are not going to improve overnight," Neji shook his head, "We will spar every other evening until you do. The days in between we will work on technique."

"E-every evening—"

" _No_." Neji turned his white eyes towards her, "Your muscles need to heal, otherwise you will only be further damaging your body and then there is no point to this." Although he was firm and almost scolding, Neji was inwardly pleased. It seemed she had fire enough after all, if she could argue with him.

Hinata nodded in resignation, sitting back on the ground and stretching her legs, working the cramps out of her muscles.

"Hinata-sama," Neji said, "Hiashi-sama cannot know."

Hinata turned to look up at him, worrying her lower lip between her teeth, "I know. I won't tell him." It was the reason they had stuck to a training ground on the outskirts of Konoha, hidden amidst the trees and far from the main hustle bustle of the village. It was usually ANBU who came to train here, if anyone at all, and ANBU were good at keeping secrets, if those secrets didn't threaten the safety of the village.

He left early, citing that he had another place to be. Hinata stood shakily and left for the Hyuuga compound. Neji made his way towards Lee's usual training spot, on the other end of the village. He may want Hinata to become stronger, but it would mean nothing if Neji was not strong himself. For any to support them, they both needed to be powerhouses in their own right. Lee, despite his lack of chakra-moulding ability, was a taijutsu master in training, and would only continue to be more fearsome as he grew.

"Lee," he called out softly as the dark-haired boy came into view, currently performing push-ups using one finger and one toe. Lee looked up, confused at first, but then his face morphed into an expression of surprised delight. He immediately got to his feet.

"Neji! I was not expecting you! Have you come to spar, my eternal rival?"

The Hyuuga grimaced slightly. Why had he thought this was a good idea? Anyway…damage done. "Taijutsu only."

Lee grinned, white teeth glowing in the evening light. Neji moved forward and got into position. If he had had his Byakugan on, he would have seen Lee's eyes flash in thought.

Their spar was a quick one. Unsurprisingly, Lee lost. Surprisingly, Neji _almost_ lost. He had won by a hair, Neji realized, as his knees gave out and he sat on the ground in an inelegant slump. In a taijutsu match, without using the abilities of his Byakugan or any of his ninjutsu, Lee's ruthless taijutsu was a force to be reckoned with. Even _when_ using his entire arsenal, Lee was a difficult opponent, though certainly not undefeatable. Neji hadn't lost against Lee yet, but even he could admit to how close he had come to losing without using any of his abilities.

But that was the point. The Byakugan did not make him invincible, but even then, his taijutsu couldn't cope up. It was a weakness. If he was ever in a position where accessing his chakra or using his Byakugan was impossible, then he was dead. The Hyuuga prided themselves on their taijutsu, but they relied on their Byakugan too much to guide their hits. The entire style was based on the tenketsu points in the body, and while that was an effective style, Neji wasn't so naïve to believe that it would work against every opponent.

Hermione's intelligence had certainly helped her against most obstacles, but often, it was Ron's foresight and Harry's instinct which had saved them. Sometimes, her intelligence had been useless when faced with inescapable odds, when faced with her own body's limitations. Neji had no intention of falling into that same trap, of limiting himself so much.

"Lee," he spoke after catching his breath, drawing the dark haired boy's attention, "I will see you tomorrow evening." He didn't bother specifying the time. Outside of their own team exercises with Gai-sensei, Lee spent most of his time training here.

His teammate flashed him a ridiculously giddy smile, nodding as his eyes sparkled, "Of course, Neji! I look forward to another youthful spar!"

Neji turned and left the training ground, rolling his eyes only when he was out of view. Skilled or not, Lee was a pain to deal with most days.

* * *

Sasuke glared. Sakura fumed. Naruto screeched, since he was the one stuck holding the cat. Currently, he was trying to maneuver it in a position in which the cat couldn't claw off his face, gripping its tail and hanging it upside-down. Tora's yowling was drawing a lot of curious attention, mostly from civilians who felt like this was some form of animal abuse. The shinobi felt bad as well…but not for the cat.

Kakashi followed them to the Hokage tower cheerfully, looking as sparklingly clean as they were dirty. He had to be breaking some sort of law, Sasuke thought, irritated. Especially since the jounin had picked out this mission specifically.

The Hokage grinned subtly behind his pipe as they walked in, tracking dirt and filth onto the floor.

"Mission successful, Hokage-sama," Kakashi almost preened, then turned a bit more serious, "We're heading out again."

" _Now_ , Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura turned her wide eyes towards him, "I'd told my parents I'd be coming back home this evening."

"We can send someone off to let your parents know," Kakashi replied.

Sakura sighed, resigned, while Sasuke pretended he could overcome the situation through sheer will and indifference. Naruto was too busy trying to hand Tora over to a random ANBU without having his clothes ripped apart in the process.

The Hokage had to fight not to chuckle as Kakashi led his genin team out through the doors, waving casually as he left.

They went back to the same training area, which was the only bright side of the entire situation. It meant that they'd have to spend less time scouting the area to find the best locations for food and firewood.

It was the first time Sakura would cook, which left Naruto and Sasuke feeling a little edgy, especially when she had stared at the fire and the pot blankly. Sasuke had set up their bedding, and Naruto had come back to the camp with an armful of fish. Sasuke sighed mournfully as he stared at his pack – they hadn't had any time to go to the market back in Konoha, so it looked like it was going to be a week without any tomatoes.

The fish ended up…well…not really looking like fish. It was some kind of black, charred thing which resembled a misshapen blob, and tasting of an odd concoction of random ingredients. Kakashi had claimed earlier that he was having a stomach ache, and so could refuse eating the meal altogether on that basis and Sakura wouldn't mind. It was almost like his Sharingan had given him powers to predict things like this as well, Sasuke mused petulantly.

On the other hand, he and Naruto had had to painfully swallow down the meal. The fish was black, bitter, rock hard, and utterly bland, and Naruto whimpered pathetically as he chewed it down.

"Now," Kakashi stood up when they were done, shoving his hands into his pockets, "Time for some training."

By now, they knew not to argue with his methods. The more they complained, the more their sensei enjoyed it, and the more work he gave them.

He brushed off his vest lightly. "Who here looked at the scrolls I handed out?"

Sasuke's eyes widened minutely. He'd completely forgotten about that, and by the look on Naruto's sheepish expression and Sakura's guilty face, they had too.

"Tut, tut," Kakashi admonished, "Well, we'll just have to up the training then, so you remember next time. One would think you didn't want to learn any new techniques."

At that, Naruto had a look of horror on his face, but Kakashi interrupted him before he could speak.

"Naruto, you're going to throw kunai at Sasuke. For every one you miss, You will spend an evening in the library with 5 clones, each reading a book of your choice. Sasuke, you will dodge. For every kunai that hits you, you will spend an evening training with a person of _my_ choice. To even it out, Sakura, you will use genjutsu on Sasuke."

"But sensei!" Sakura turned to Kakashi in panic, "I don't know any genjutsu!" Somewhere behind them, Naruto was screaming in terror, but was cheerfully ignored by his team.

"It's in the scroll," Kakashi's lips upturned in glee, "You should take a look at it quickly, because for every attempt that Sasuke breaks in 5 seconds, or that doesn't affect him at all, I will make you practice until you are suffering from chakra exhaustion."

His entire cute team of genin winced simultaneously, and Kakashi felt nothing but pride. They were even becoming in sync now!

Then, Sasuke sighed, moved to the far end of the training field, and glanced at his two team mates expectantly. Sakura squeaked, sat down immediately, and pulled a scroll out of her back pack. Her eyes skimmed the entire scroll quickly, working to memorize it.

In the meantime, Naruto grinned, took out a kunai, and threw it at Sasuke lazily who merely stood there, eyebrow raised as the kunai whistled past him almost a metre away.

"That's one evening, Naruto," Kakashi said, now laying on a tree branch several metres from the ground.

Immediately, the blond gave a look of panic. He hadn't realized up until this point just how quickly his evenings could add up. A sneaky look appeared on his face but Kakashi cut him off immediately, "For every five minutes in which you haven't thrown a kunai, add five evenings to that count."

Naruto groaned, but Sakura looked up from her quick reading thoughtfully, before glancing back down to her scroll with renewed fervor.

The next ten minutes were spent with Naruto trying to pin Sasuke down before using a kunai, after Kakashi confirmed that every tactic was fair game. Unfortunately, with Sasuke's speed, he wasn't too successful. The Uchiha effortlessly dodged him, moving between the logs and boulders with innate grace, while Naruto stumbled after him. That was, until ran through a pile of leaves, and stopped abruptly, a look of absolute horror coming over his face.

"Demonic Hell Viewing Illusion," Sakura gritted her teeth in no little amount of triumph, sweat beading across her forehead.

"Now, Naruto!" Sakura forced out, "It's only the first time so I don't know how long I can hold it!"

Naruto grinned at her and threw a kunai at Sasuke, just managing to scratch his arm just as Sasuke shook his head and whispered "Kai!"

Sasuke checked his torn sleeve and groaned, turning to Sakura with a scowl, "That was terrible, Sakura, but it won't work again."

"We'll see," she smirked. "Hey Naruto," Sakura whispered over to her blond teammate the moment Sasuke left to hide amid the trees. He'd understood that with Sakura's genjutsu, the game had changed.

"What is it?"

"Didn't you wonder why Kakashi-sensei gave you five minutes for each kunai throw?"

"Hmm?" Naruto scratched his head, "No, not really. Why?"

"It's so we could plan this out. Use strategy."

"Strategy?"

"It's what ninja do, right? Now come on, we have three minutes left."

The next hour and a half was spent with Naruto and Sakura setting up traps all around the training ground, while Sasuke tried to avoid as many as he could. For the most part, he succeeded, but the goal of the traps wasn't only to capture him, but also to delay him for as long as possible, which they did do. Sakura succeeded in her attempts at genjutsu three more times, while Sasuke broke out of six. Naruto succeeded in scratching him with kunai another four times, but missed eleven other attempts.

At the end of the day, they lay on the grass, panting and utterly exhausted. Sasuke groaned inaudibly, trying to get as much of the dirt out of his clothes as possible, while Sakura was brushing the tangles out of her hair with her fingers. Naruto dozed.

"Good job, team," Kakashi stood over them, his eye curved into his typical smile as he took in his genins' states, "You can head to bed now, and we'll continue with training in the morning. We'll handle your punishment training when we get back to Konoha each week. Sasuke, Naruto, make sure you look over your scrolls before tomorrow."

At some point, his foot had _accidentally_ landed in Naruto's ribs, causing the blond to jerk awake with a strangled yelp.

Naruto grumbled as he got to his feet, seemingly completely recuperated. Sakura glared at him enviously.

After another minute or so, Sasuke stood and wordlessly moved to his bedroll, pulling out the scroll he had received from Kakashi and moving to the edge of the training ground, further away from their camp. As soon as he opened the scroll, he looked to Kakashi in shock.

"This is a taijutsu scroll," Sasuke muttered, stopping near where Kakashi was perched up on a tree.

"Hmm. Looks like it is."

The Uchiha gritted his teeth slightly, "I want a ninjutsu." He refrained from mentioning childishly that the dobe had received a ninjutsu scroll, if his exclamation of delight a few minutes earlier was anything to go by.

"Maybe after you've mastered this, Sasuke."

"Why?"

Kakashi sighed, putting away the orange book in his hand to jump from the tree, landing on the ground with barely a sound, "Let's talk to the other two, as well. This is between the entire team."

"Team," Kakashi spoke after catching their attention, "I believe it's time to have a little chat."

"What about, sensei?" Sakura questioned, putting her own scroll away.

"This team, and your individual roles within in."

He had their full attention now. "I've told each of you already that my orders are to turn this team into a Front-line Assault Team."

" _Flat,"_ Sakura muttered incredulously under her breath, and Naruto snickered slightly. Even Sasuke's lips twitched in humor.

"That means that we will be the first to engage in combat, the first team to head into war, the first in any known, hostile situation. Our specialties will never be tracking, intelligence, or assassination, but combat plain and simple."

"Yes!" Naruto shouted, "That means we get to kick butt!"

"No," Kakashi's voice was harder than a rock, and with far more jagged edges, "That means you get to kill people. Preferably without getting killed yourself."

The silence that followed was stifling. Stiff and tense, Sasuke noted the guilty look on Naruto's face with a kind of bitter envy. What he would have given to be that blissfully ignorant…but the blond was reaching that point where he now had to face the reality of being a shinobi.

"But," Kakashi's tone became softer, "It also means you get to protect your village. Protect your team and those you care about. Now, let's talk about each of your strengths, so we each know what the other is good at."

"Naruto has incredible chakra reserves. This makes him ideal for ninjutsu," Kakashi spoke to all three of them as he explained, willing his genin to understand that they needed to know each other's strengths and weaknesses to properly function as an effective team. "You've no doubt noticed that he also has large amounts of stamina, which make him perfect for impactful, destructive techniques involving large masses of chakra. On the flip side, he will never be proficient at chakra control, unlike you, Sakura," Kakashi glanced at the only girl in their team for a moment.

"Sakura has natural, near perfect chakra control. Sakura, while you could be great as a medic-nin, the nature of this team would make a genjutsu user a better fit. Neither Naruto nor Sasuke will specialize in the same level of subtlety. At the same time, with your build and expertise, you will never be as physically strong as either Naruto or Sasuke, but with genjutsu, you can multiply the team's own power tenfold." Sakura's eyes widened in something akin to awe.

"Sasuke," Kakashi turned to him last, his one eye boring into Sasuke's, "You will specialize in taijutsu. Your build and sharingan will make it an ideal match. You're built for movement and physical combat in a way that Naruto can never do with his brawler style, but at the same time, with your above-average chakra control and chakra reserves, you round out the team."

"That," Kakashi fixed his eye upon them seriously, " is not to say that you three will stay within the realms of your natural inclinations alone. Sakura, you'll learn ninjutsu suitable for you, as will you Sasuke. Naruto, we'll try to get you to at least recognize a genjutsu when you see it, and all three of you will learn your own forms of taijutsu."

It was later that night when Sasuke trudged back towards Kakashi, long after the other two had fallen asleep. "My clan has always relied on ninjutsu. The Sharingan makes us naturally lean towards that area."

Kakashi glanced towards him, noting the curious tone as opposed to the accusatory one from earlier that night. "The Sharingan allows the user to copy ninjutsu and taijutsu techniques, as long as the body is able to cope up. More importantly, however, is its ability to see _movement_ , to predict and anticipate before the action is even done. Can you see how useful this could be, Sasuke?"

Sasuke scrunched his brows in thought.

"Most of your clan used the Sharingan to copy techniques, but the problem with that is unless the body itself can cope up, those techniques will never be as useful as they are to the original. The Sharingan will always be a powerful tool, if it is used as a tool. If it is used as the basis for an entire combat style, it causes chinks in the armour that a superior shinobi can see easily."

"Using the sharingan for taijutsu means that your body needs to be trained before you even train your Sharingan to adapt. Where you were once forcing your body to cope up, it is the Sharingan that now needs to _see_ quickly enough to adapt to your body, and instincts will always be more useful than an ability."

"Naruto is naturally suited to ninjutsu with his incredible amount of chakra. Sakura, with her perfect chakra control, is an ideal genjutsu user. Sasuke, you were _born_ for taijutsu. Your build, speed, endurance, it all points to a taijutsu master. That doesn't mean that all three of you will be so specialized as to be completely useless in the other two areas. You will be a taijutsu master, but the goal is for you to be skilled at both ninjutsu and genjutsu as well."

" _It's like you were born for this, Harry. Dueling, combat, this war, whatever you want to call it," Ron's words were subdued, though his eyes were alit with a kind of soldier's ferocity, "Maybe the prophecy is about you because you were_ made _to fit the prophecy."_

Sasuke shuddered slightly, shaking away the memory, "It's why you have been making me fix Naruto's taijutsu."

Kakashi nodded, ignoring his genin's scowl, "Naruto's useless if he knows just ninjutsu, just like you'll be far more capable knowing more than just taijutsu, but fixing Naruto's taijutsu taught you a bit too, didn't it?"

It had. He'd had to be constantly aware of every twitch of muscle, every foot placed an inch behind where it needed to be. Every weakness in the dobe's stance and how that would hinder his movement.

" _It's like you know how to move instinctively. You told us once you'd spent years running from your cousin," Hermione told him one night, huddled under the one blanket they'd managed to scrounge. She'd been between Ron and him, so close he could feel the heat in her breath. "Sometimes, it's like you dodge a spell before it's even been fired."_

When he went back to study the scroll, the more he looked at it, the more he realized just how tailored it was for him. The style required a kind of flawless speed and efficiency without any unnecessary movement. No energy was wasted. It wasn't a fluid style, but it was an adaptable one, one that relied on instincts but gave him moments of time in between to _think_ , to process and come up with strategy even in the middle of combat. It fit him _completely_. Sasuke released a breath he hadn't even realized he was holding, and got to work.


End file.
